White Alice
by Kiski
Summary: In a Domino wracked by a cosmetic surgery craze, Seto Kaiba's ethnic preferences aren't going unnoticed. As Kaiba explores the concept of the perfect woman, the gang fight to protect their new friends from his ruthless obsessions. Jonouchi/OC, Kaiba/OC
1. Outbreak

_Note: This an idea that's been floating around in my head for a while, but it's really taken on a life of its own. Hopefully it'll keep its momentum! Now, this isn't supposed to be any sort of social commentary or whatnot, it just sort of ended up this way. _

_Edit Note: Fixed a couple of grammatical mistakes and awkward phrasing. If you notice anything else, tell me._

_Disclaimer: I don't own this- not the anime, not the manga, nothing. This belongs to Kazuki Takahashi._

_White Alice_

_Chapter One: Outbreak_

He could hear her moving. It seemed like she was trying to move quietly, but the fabric of her dress was rustling too agitatedly for silence. He opened his eyes.

She was standing with the length of her dress tucked between her legs, trying awkwardly to hold it up with one hand and zip up the back with the other. Sighing, he rolled out of bed and reached for her. She smiled tentatively as he zipped her in, and bowed thankfully when he was done. "Thank you," she murmured in English.

He pushed her hair out of her face and handed her her purse. She smiled again, a little more confidently. "I'll have someone drive you home," he told her.

She looked instantly much happier. "Thank you very much. I was concerned about my… uh…" She looked away, flushing.

He understood, and was simultaneously amused at her shyness and grateful for her discretion. Most women did anything to stay or flaunt their status as a lover, however brief that status was maintained.

As was walking her to the door, he remembered he was naked.

"…I'll have someone show you out."

She giggled. It was a strange sound to hear in the Kaiba mansion.

_(W/A)_

Anzu's laughter had an edge to it.

"Seriously, guys, I think it's _hilarious_ that every transfer student Domino had gotten has immediately shacked up with Kaiba! It's like he's a Nazi or something, right?"

Jonouchi and Honda laughed. Yugi frowned a little. "Anzu, you think he only likes Western women?"

Anzu's smile faded into a grim forced smirk that didn't suit her face well. "I certainly don't think he's helping all these poor girls who think they need surgery to look beautiful, that's for sure." The smirk faded into a grimace. "Did you know a place specializing in blepharoplasty and rhinoplasty opened up down the road from Burger World? Even Miho has been talking about going there for a consultation, and she's never had any issues before."

Jonouchi and Honda stopped laughing, suddenly aware that this was a serious conversation. "Blepharo-whatsit?" The blonde asked, genuinely curious.

"Eyelid surgery," Anzu answered. "To look more Caucasian. More white." She sighed. "Did anyone else notice Mitsuko has been excused from school for over a month?"

The boys lapsed into grim silence. Even Jonouchi looked a little disturbed, and shifted uncomfortably in preparation for what he suspected would be an uncomfortable subject. "Anzu… aren't you part white?"

Anzu, to his surprise, just nodded calmly. "Yeah. My Grandpa's white. My Dad too." She shrugged. "War brides and stuff like that, you know."

She didn't seem to mind it, so Jonouchi pushed the subject further. "So, have you…? With Kaiba, I mean?" Honda winced, and Yugi pushed scooted further down the cafeteria bench, looking wary.

Anzu looked disgusted. "Of course not! I said every transfer student, not everyone with a drop of white blood in them. Hell, he'd have jumped Bakura by now, if that was the case."

"But Bakura's a transfer student too," Jonouchi said. Anzu rolled her eyes.

"You know what I mean. Anyway, the point is that he's not helping the problem. The instant he hooks up with a girl who's had a nose job and eyelid surgery, everyone in Domino is going to want it. Outside of Domino, too, if the Tokyo media gets wind of this." She paused, looking around the lunch room. "I'm amazed they haven't already. And look, Yuki Sato has gone blonde. Do you see?"

Jonouchi shrugged. "She looks good, though." Anzu shot him an angry look.

"You just don't get it. You just don't get it all."

_(W/A)_

"I met a girl, Big Brother."

"Hm?"

"Yes. She's very beautiful and smart. I think you'd like her."

"Hm."

"I was wondering, maybe, if she could come stay an evening with us later this week, Brother?"

"Mhm."

"Wednesday?"

"Hm."

"Thank you."

It took a moment for Seto Kaiba to comprehend what he had agreed to. When it had finally seeped into the part of his conscious brain that wasn't dedicated to the task at hand, he looked away from his computer screen, feeling a mounting sense of urgency. Mokuba had already retreated, and Kaiba recognized the wiseness of this. He had agreed to something, and Mokuba's leaving finalized it.

"Damn," he swore quietly. He still didn't feel Mokuba was old enough to trust when it came to women. Women were fickle, sneaky creatures.

He frowned for a moment, and then smirked a little. _'On the other hand…'_ He though that the fact that Mokuba had both informed him of this girl's existence and elected to bring her home for his approval were good signs. _'Perhaps I'm underestimating his maturity. After all, he has always been an exceptional boy.'_

The addition of a _'like me' _seemed wholly unnecessary.

_(W/A)_

It was Wednesday, and the day Mitsuko returned to school. She was visibly upset that only the delicate, popular Anzu had neglected to inform her of how beautiful her new eyes looked, but seemed to take solace in how many people said how natural her blue contacts looked with the change.

It evened out, she told Miho. It was all worth it.

Anzu wasn't happy when Miho decided that she was incredibly lucky and told her she was going to bring a photo of her to the clinic. "You're something real an Asian girl can shoot for, Anzu," Miho told her.

Anzu wasn't happy at all.

Even the presence of her new friends from Canada couldn't ease her discomfort, despite the fact that both were blissfully unaware of Seto Kaiba's existence. Just their lovely Caucasion faces caused her some pain.

The girls were sisters, half-Dutch, the younger sixteen and a year behind because of the difference in native curriculum, the older eighteen and taking courses at the local University. Elizabeth liked to visit her sister after school, when they all met outside school grounds. Anzu was sure her and Jonouchi's fluency in English was an attractive factor as well.

Of course, for Elizabeth, Jonouchi in general seemed to be an attractive factor.

Genia's presence at Domino High School had had an interesting effect, as well. People had declared that she and Anzu could be sisters, and were startled to learn that Genia was, in fact, fully white.

Both sisters had bright blue eyes and dark hair, dyed slightly differing shades of red, but Genia's eyes were oddly almond, and her lips much fuller and broader than her sister's. Elizabeth had a wider, squarer jaw and a slighter wider nose. Sitting at a picnic table in the shade of the trees, Anzu thought it was fascinating how alike they looked while looking so completely different.

Right now, Genia was chattering to Elizabeth in English about the exact subject Anzu's mind had been dwelling on.

"It's funny- Miho was- you know, the girl with the purple hair- do they even allow that at these schools? I thought they didn't." Genia stopped for a second, taking a bite of her sandwich. "But anyway, Miho was saying she wants to get a nose job. I can't imagine why. She's so beautiful. The weird thing is, though, she was saying she wishes she had _my_ nose. Why would you want a lump on your nose? I don't get it." She shook her head, and Elizabeth frowned.

"Don't you remember? Kay was talking about this before we left."

Anzu's lolling head shot up. "What's this?"

Both sisters looked startled, but Genia recovered first. "Our cousin was talking about how a lot of Asian women want to look more white, but how a lot of white men like Asian women."She shrugged dismissively. "I think it's weird. Asian girls are so pretty."

Anzu poked a finger at her ziplock bag, shifting the leftover jelly left inside. "I think a lot of us need reality checks, Genia, but there are really no Asian women who in our media who haven't had surgery. It gets to you after a while."

Elizabeth nodded. "Yeah, but there are even white and black women back home who get surgery to look more Asian. Nobody's happy with how they look, anywhere."

As the girls fell silent, Anzu couldn't help but think that brooding seemed to be the theme of the day. _'It's hard not to be depressed by this,'_ she thought. _'At least these two haven't fallen prey to Kaiba yet, though.'_ She sighed audibly. Elizabeth, sitting across from her, seemed to be getting antsy.

She checked her watch with unnecessary impatience. "What do you think is keeping the boys so long?" she asked Anzu. Genia murmured something reassuring and launched into an excited exposition about her upcoming date. Anzu was about to answer herself when commotion broke out nearby. Her head whipped towards the noise.

"You've got no right to call me that, rich boy!" Jonouchi was yelling, barely restrained by Honda. "Maybe if you took your head out of your ass, I'd finally get a chance to hit that pretty face of yours!"

'_And speak of the devil,' _Anzu thought with black despair, because the only reason Seto Kaiba wasn't responding seemed to be because those cold blue eyes were fixed very interestedly on the still obliviously burbling Genia.

"I'm really excited to meet his brother tonight, guys," she said cheerfully. "I really hope he likes me!"


	2. Infection

_Note: Well, on to Chapter Two! Gotta keep working on this consistently or it'll die like Simply Biological. Maybe one day I'll take the plunge and continue that. For now, on with the ethnicity angst! _

_Just to tell you, though, the reason I'm writing this is because it's one of the few ideas I've had that I think really puts each of the characters in a place that really fits their personalities- the obsessive perfectionist Kaiba, a concerned and determined Anzu, and the boys, really unsure of where they stand because there's really no clear good and evil in this case. But anyway. I'm rambling._

_The really funny thing is that I'm not usually a big fan of Anzu, but she seems to be taking centre-stage. Hmm._

_Also, I know Mokuba and Kaiba are supposed to be five years apart, but… shh. Don't ask questions!_

_Edit: Fixed a mistake. Tell me if you see any others._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters. Yu-Gi-Oh is the property of Kazuki Takahashi._

_White Alice_

_Chapter Two: Infection_

The rest of the day had gone by uneventfully, but Anzu still felt tense and expectant. After catching sight of Genia, Seto Kaiba had simply looked at Jonouchi for a second and walked away with speaking. Nonetheless, for the rest of the afternoon, from their trip to the arcade to an early dinner at Burger World- which Genia had declined in anticipation of her date- Anzu had been filled with dread. She kept expecting Kaiba to waltz into the diner or climb out of every car they passed and quietly pick up the very slim Genia and just carry her off to… somewhere. Somewhere unknown, and therefore menacing.

She knew it was irrational, and that she was being unfair to Kaiba's character, which had proven admirable, albeit in a twisted way, in the past. It didn't seem to matter. Even as they stopped at Jonouchi's apartment and begged and pleaded him to stay for an hour or two more at Yugi's, it seemed like no place in Domino, no matter how low-rent or how late or early the hour, was free from the threat of Kaiba's interest.

_'You're being silly,'_ she told herself as Jonouchi and Honda excused themselves reluctantly from a drooping and faintly petulant Elizabeth. _'Kaiba can have anyone he likes in Domino. Anyone in Japan, for that matter. Why would he hunt down Genia? Just to take her from you? Don't feel so self-important.'_

A little voice in her head quietly asserted that the young billionaire had already had everyone he liked in Domino. Except, of course, Genia.

"Damn," she swore quietly, trying to relax as yet another black unmarked car cruised gently past. _'The world is out to get my nerves tonight.'_ She sighed, and tried to attend to what Yugi and the sisters were talking about. It was Genia's date.

"I think he's coming to meet me at the apartment," she said, sounding nervous for the first time that evening. "He has my address and my cell number, I mean. I'm not worried. "

Anzu couldn't help but smile a little. Genia's fluttery excitement was catching, and the fact that it was a boy her grade meant that her suspicions were safely out of the question. Being sixteen, Genia was, of course, between Mokuba and Seto Kaiba's- her own- grades.

Her brain stalled for one terrified moment, and she stopped and turned to look woodenly at the younger Canadian, who stopped walking a half-second too late and had to backtrack. Yugi looked puzzled. "Why'd you stop?" he asked. She continued to look at Genia.

"Genia, what year did you say you were in, again?"

"The ninth- I mean third. Third year. I was held back because the curriculum's different. Why?"

Anzu was starting to feel a little unreal. Genia's voice seemed to come from an improbable distance. "Who's this date with?"

The young woman looked startled, and then laughed. "Oh no, I never said, did I? And here I've been going on all afternoon. I'm sorry." She smiled a little and straightened her blazer. "His name is Mokuba. Do you know him?"

_(W/A)_

Seto Kaiba felt like a man who had looked into the face of heaven and seen someone else's God.

It was a disconcerting feeling.

The girl in the park had been undeniably, strikingly beautiful. He had felt that familiar rush of wanting at the sight of her, and that should've been enough.

But something was wrong. She was a flawless specimen of her gender, it was true, from her wide, well-defined lips to the delicate beauty mark high on her cheekbone. She looked like she'd stepped out of a painting.

_'It's someone else's fantasy,'_ his brain told him practically, to little effect. The brunet grimaced.

"What does that even mean?" He asked the room, and then shoved the thought aside as a nervous and bright-eyed Mokuba slid in through the door. He was fidgeting.

The first words out of his mouth were, "You did promise, Big Brother." Kaiba smiled.

"Yes. I know."

Mokuba looked immeasurably relieved. "Please be nice to her. She's… perfect." The word sounded surprised, like it hadn't been what Mokuba intended to say at all. He looked embarrassed.

Kaiba chose to ignore that bit in favour of holding on to his hopes of Mokuba's maturity for just a little bit longer. "I will be as kind to her as she deserves from me, Little Brother," he told him.

He was startled at Mokuba's immediate and total assurance.

"I don't think you have that much kindness to give, Brother."

_(W/A)_

Jonouchi sounded more serious than Anzu had heard in a long time.

"Why didn't you mention something earlier, Anzu? Or warn Genia what's going on?" There was a note of reproof in his voice, and the brunette winced reflexively.

"I didn't know what to say," she told him. "I can't vilify Mokuba; he's got nothing to with this." She gave it a moment of thought. "Mokuba's a good kid. And with him might be the safest place in the city for her, even if she's in the same house as Kaiba." She sighed a little, and mournfully examined a nick in her nail polish. "I don't want to paint him like a villain to everyone, Jonouchi, because he's not really all that terrible- despite what you may think," she said, cutting off his protest quickly. "Truthfully, I don't think the guy means any harm, but I'm worried about Genia, I'm worried about her sister, and I'm worried about what all the other girls in Domino will think if something happens. A couple of girls have already been kicked out their families for embracing more 'Western' sexual habits, Jou. This isn't Tokyo."

"We're not that far outside of Tokyo," Jonouchi supplied hopefully.

"Far enough," she asserted. "Anyway, whether or not Kaiba's trying to cause problems, he's going to end up causing them, and I don't want Genia and Elizabeth caught up in a fiasco like that. Okay?"

Jonouchi sighed. "Yeah, okay. I know. It's a problem, and a pretty serious one. I guess I just hoped that we'd stop having to save the world when all the weird shit stopped, you know? It'd be nice not to be the man behind the hero for once."

Anzu felt a little guilty. What Jonouchi said was right, and staring at the photos on her desk- photos from Duelist Kingdom, newspaper clippings about Yugi's various triumphs- Anzu understood, suddenly, why the girls at Domino High never seemed to know blonde existed in more than a cursory sense. He was a support, and a loud one, but he had never taken centre stage. She felt her eyes burning a little in sympathy, and quietly cursed her sensitivity. "You're a good guy, Jou," she told him. "It'll be okay."

She thought he sounded confused when she hung up.

_(W/A)_

Mokuba had been gone for long enough that Kaiba was beginning to suspect he was engaging in other, more demanding activities than dinner with his prospective girlfriend.

Part of him wanted to approve heartily. The other was wary of the potential repercussions of his brother forming an attachment to someone unsavoury.

_'Of course,'_ he reasoned, _'it isn't necessarily true that Mokuba will form an emotional attachment to this woman.'_ It was sound logic, but part of him disagreed. Mokuba had always been the gentler of the two of them, and had always attached himself to others much more easily than Kaiba ever could. _'What did Mokuba say?'_

"She's perfect," he murmured to himself. He set his mouth in a hard line. Admitting perfection in another was a weak thing to do. Perfection, ideals, only existed within the mind. A perfect woman only existed in the mind of the man inventing her.

He felt strangely like he was stumbling blindly along the edge of a revelation without really ever realizing it, and it was beginning to annoy him. A more active approach to discovering Mokuba's whereabouts was in order, he decided, and slipped his phone from his pocket.

He hadn't told Mokuba that he'd had his card locket, which he still wore out of habit, implanted with a GPS locator chip. It had been a precaution after the increasingly bizarre occurrences surrounding Yugi and his followers in the years before, and he had never really bothered to appraise Mokuba of it. Now he was glad he hadn't.

His phone informed him that it was travelling towards the Kaiba mansion at the staggering pace of six kilometres an hour. Amused, he toggled the underground garage's remote surveillance on his computer. A quick look confirmed his suspicions. Mokuba had walked, and was walking back, presumably with his new paramour. Kaiba checked the time and did some quick calculations.

"At least this discounts the possibility of unwanted heirs," he muttered, and headed downstairs.

_(W/A)_

Katsuya Jonouchi was thinking about girls.

Unfortunately, they weren't the sort of thoughts he liked to entertain normally. He was thinking about Tea, Genia and Elizabeth. A little bit about Miho, too, but only in a distracted, disturbed sort of way.

He really wanted to believe that everything would be alright without interference, if only for the sake of the happiness of everyone involved. However, a little part of him wanted there to be a problem, because it seemed like becoming the hero was the only way to get the girl.

Elizabeth didn't make a very good damsel in distress, which made saving her rather difficult under normal circumstances.

He sighed, but admitted to himself that her quiet independence and self-sufficiency were two things he liked most about her. Of course, there were other pairs of things he admired, but those weren't admirable personality traits.

"More like… phenomenal fruits," he murmured wonderingly, lifting his hands and holding them forward in a wide cupping motion. "Of the animal kind."

He sighed, and dripped them. _'I'm getting distracted again.'_ Jonouchi frowned a little. _'Anzu's right. I can't handle this. I don't even know where to start thinking about it, let alone where to start acting. What do you do when you're one of the only people who think something's wrong at all?'_

He looked down at his hands in frustration. "Where do I start?" He was quiet for a second, and then said, "Where _can_ I start?"

The answer was obvious.

"Kaiba."

_(W/A)_


	3. Epidemic

_Note: And on to the third Chapter we go. I'm trying to keep my writing pretty much constant, to avoid messy inconsistencies caused by spotty writing. Also to keep up my motivation to write this. _

_I wouldn't mind some feedback, my friends- thank you very much to Vampiric Dragonrider and Triva for your support. It's nice to know someone's reading this and enjoying it._

_I'm totally writing this because this is what I'd want to read in one of my 'God, I really want to read a good OC fic right now' moments, though. Heehee._

_Edit: Woah. This got really deep, really fast._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any affiliated merchandise. This is a work of inspired fiction made purely for entertainment value and is not personally profitable._

_White Alice_

_Chapter Three: Epidemic_

_'Shit.'_

Of course it was her.

Kaiba felt curiously torn at the sight of Mokuba with the redhead he'd seen in the park. Part of him was incredibly proud of his brother for his acquisition of such an extravagantly good-looking woman. Another part of him was incredibly panicked at the prospect of such an effective block for his intentions for her.

As a result, his brain was having a small civil war, and he was having difficulty forming coherent thoughts.

The redhead and Mokuba had reached the mansion gate, and he fumbled with the release to them in. His little brother greeted him ecstatically. He was flushed, presumably with exercise.

"…And this is Genia Visser."

Kaiba smiled automatically, and from the girl's responding expression, it wasn't the smooth, suave smile he'd been intending to use. He stopped, and bowed respectfully. "It is a pleasure," he told her in smooth English. "I am Seto Kaiba, Mokuba's elder brother."

Her smile returned full-force, but Mokuba sent him a dirty look. Kaiba couldn't contain his smirk. Mokuba had opted out of extra English tutelage, claiming that it was useless to be fluent in a language he'd never use. _'Right, as always,'_ the elder brother thought, and gestured them graciously inside. Genia looked nervous.

Mokuba recovered his composure admirably at the sight. Maintaining a friendly, easy-going tone and expression- two things Kaiba had never managed to master- he cheerfully accosted his verbally. "So, Big Brother, what are we doing for dinner?"

The brunet sent him an answering glower. "Be polite around your guest, Mokuba," he told him sharply. "And dinner would have been made and served already had I had an idea of your intentions. However, I did not, and it is not, so it will be at least a half-hour, depending on what Miss Visser would like." He inclined his head towards her politely.

Genia promptly went quite pink, and it was obvious from Mokuba's wooden expression that he'd noticed. Kaiba fought a wince. "Please call me Genia," she said shyly, and then fidgeted nervously, obviously at a loss for words. Mokuba seemed in no hurry to volunteer a smoothing comment, instead opting to cross his arms and look disapproving. It was a hauntingly familiar expression.

Kaiba sighed. "Do you have any allergies, Miss Visser?" he asked, all politeness. Mokuba's hard stance relaxed a little. His withdrawal was recognized. Genia just looked startled, and then smiled again.

"No, I don't. But I don't like string beans or yam," she said, looking a little sheepish. Mokuba laughed a little at what was obviously a new-found culture clash for the young woman, and smiled at her reassuringly.

"Is there anything you'd like to eat?" he asked, and Kaiba silently removed himself from their intimate circle to check his phone and beckon one of the kitchen staff over. Genia became quite embarrassed and began to insist that anything was fine, and that she 'didn't want to be a burden'.

Mokuba and Seto Kaiba exchanged amused looks.

_(W/A)_

Jonouchi considered informing Anzu of his thoughts on the Kaiba situation, but decided it was probably not a prudent idea.

He didn't agree with Anzu's assessment at all. He thought Kaiba knew exactly what he was doing.

_'Kaiba's a smart guy- even I can't deny that,'_ he thought grimly, flipping up the hood of his sweater as he descended the stairs of his apartment building. _'There's no possible way he hasn't considered how what he does might look to the media. The guy's spent too long in the limelight for that.'_ He stepped out the front entrance of the building, only to narrowly avoid putting his foot into the face of sleeping vagrant. He carefully stepped around him. _'Is it possible he's doing this intentionally? I know Kaiba's capable of some pretty low things when he wants something, but why would he possibly want to destroy the egos of thousands of young women?'_

The answer seemed a little obvious to him. Seto Kaiba hated _everyone_.

Katsuya Jonouchi had seen a side of the billionaire even Anzu and Yugi hadn't seen in his darkest, wildest moments with them. He'd seen the same wild, insane hatred in Kaiba's eyes as he'd seen in his father's, just before the local cops finally took him away. That frightened him more than he liked to admit. Seto Kaiba was much more dangerous than a common drunk.

Jonouchi was blessed with an early birthday. The instant he'd turned eighteen and was allowed to live on his own, he'd called the police. His landlord had been so elated that he'd given Jonouchi the option of a month rent-free to get on his feet. Jonouchi had declined, and never missed a bill.

But it was the moment that his father was being pulled out the apartment door, stinking of old wine and high out of his mind on something Jonouchi couldn't pronounce, that he'd seen it, and realized that his father had hated him from the moment his mother walked out.

Since then, all he'd felt was relief to have him gone.

The idea of Kaiba containing that sort of hate reminded him of a man he had heard about once in History- a German doctor. Very wealthy, charismatic, and intelligent. Also a Nazi scientist who happily poured chemicals into the eyes of Jewish children.

He didn't think Anzu's comparison on that front had been too far off at all.

What he hadn't decided was what to do about it, but if he'd learned anything from the cards they played in the years before, it was that you have to learn as much as you can about your opponent to defeat them. For now, that was his plan.

He hoped against hope that he was completely wrong, even if it meant that the doubt of his father's true feelings and intentions might haunt him for the rest of his life.

All he doubted now was Anzu's assertion of his hidden good nature.

_(W/A)_

Anzu hadn't been able to help it. She just had to know. When she had passed the clinic, she had been drawn into it, mesmerized by the angler fish light of the glass door, into the mouth of the beast.

The first thing she saw was the poster, and it produced an immediate feeling of total inadequacy. She understood, finally, fully, the problem.

The woman on the poster was Asian, or had been, at one point. Now she was more ethereal than real, with her sweeping bleach-white hair, glowing ivory skin and enormous dark eyes. _'This,' _she thought, _'is what the world thinks when someone says an Asian beauty. I understand now.'_

The second thing she saw was that the woman working at the reception desk looked eerily similar to the woman on the poster, except that her hair was the dark, rich red of lightened Asian hair, and she was wearing vibrant green contacts.

The third thing she noticed was the incredibly full roundness of this woman's breasts on her comparatively tiny frame.

Her hands went automatically to her own not insignificant chest. _'Oh my God. I understand.'_

She wanted to be sick, but she also wanted to be like the woman behind the desk, and on the poster- because part of her brain couldn't comprehend that they were, in fact, different people- and that made her feel even sicker. Slowly, feeling dreamlike, she walked towards to expectant, smiling _thing _that had once been an Asian woman.

"Can I help you?" she asked cheerfully. Her voice was normal. That helped a lot.

"Um, yes," Anzu replied, feeling shaky. It was hard to look at this woman- April, her tag said- without feeling strangely unreal. It was like looking at an optical illusion of involving an object you knew but couldn't recognize. "I need to talk to somebody," she said. April smiled, again.

It was dizzying. "Normally you do have to call ahead for this sort of thing, you know," she rebuked. Looking away, just the normalness of her voice was helping Anzu recover her composure, but looking at her, it somehow made it worse. "We're usually very busy… but tonight is slow, so I'm sure Doctor Takahashi will make an exception." She smiled again, but this time in a friendly, confidential way that frightened the little dancer. "You're very lucky, you know. You're pretty to start with. I wasn't."

Anzu couldn't help it. She ran.

_(W/A)_

Genia Visser was, in fact, a very charming girl, and he no longer felt concerned over Mokuba's bright assessment of her. She was, in fact, perfect.

Perfect for Mokuba.

The realization of this was startling to him. At no point had he considered that the much-touted high-flown assertions that everyone had a potential perfect someone, somewhere, had any truth to them at all. He had assumed, logically, that the hierarchy of life was that some were genetically superior, and those inferior to them spouted garbage to band-aid the wound of inadequacy.

But here was evidence to the contrary.

He still found Genia unbelievable attractive, but he was stung with the knowledge that he simply did not appreciate her as fully as Mokuba did. In fact, within minutes of food being served, it seemed his presence had been forgotten completely by the both of them. They were watching downstairs. He doubted they had noticed his absence.

"Remarkable," he mumbled to himself, "Truly remarkable."

For the first time in his life, Kaiba felt what he'd once had paradoxically described to him as 'indescribable emptiness'. And, also, for the first time, he contemplated personal perfection.

He'd always assumed he'd recognize true perfection when he saw it; someone completely genetically superior that everyone around saw and accepted. Genia came close. He'd always liked to consider himself very close as well.

But now, he considered the concept of someone existing who only he would bow to. It was a frightening thought, and he determined immediately to uproot it. Outside of reality, in the realm of symmetry and form and ratio, there had to be something above organically attainable perfection. Something that would ease his sudden, incredible fear of enslavement to another, perfect, human being.

He decided to create it.


	4. Pandemic

_Note: And here's is Chapter four! Holy crap, I've written all of these in less than a week. Uh. Woah. I'm kind of insane, I think. Thank you to all of you that reviewed and left your thoughts! It's nice that some of you find this interesting. _

_Edit: Uhm. Wow. I… might be making Seto Kaiba slightly psychotic, and that was never my original intention. Just… yikes. He's starting to scare me a little. Anzu's going nuts, too. Jesus Christ, why is Jonouchi the only sensible person in this story?_

_This one is a little short. I'm sorry!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or anything affiliated with Yu-Gi-Oh. All of the above stated are the property of Kazuki Takahashi. This is a work of inspired non-profit fiction._

_White Alice_

_Chapter Four: Pandemic_

Elizabeth Visser was uncharacteristically animated by the prospect of Genia's future happiness.

Anzu had told her who Mokuba was in relationship their small group, and who Kaiba was in relationship to Mokuba. She hadn't had the heart to mention his apparent sexual voracity for Caucasian women, or her concerns about the effect it was having. She hadn't even mentioned their own extensive history with the powerful then-duelist.

To Elizabeth, Seto Kaiba was Mokuba's doting, workaholic older brother. For some reason, that made Anzu feel as awful as if she'd concocted a new life for the man. It felt dishonest not to reveal every aspect of the man to one of the people most at risk.

_'But… he didn't even seem to see her there, when we were at the park. It was like he only had eyes for Genia.' _It was cold comfort, but it helped Anzu a little. She still felt confused and vulnerable the morning after her trip to the clinic the night before; it had made her learn things about herself she'd never really wanted to know.

One was that she absolutely hated the ashy colour of her hair.

She knew she was being too soft with Elizabeth in not warning her, but she feared a hasty intervention would just send Genia out of Mokuba's arms and into Kaiba's, and that was exactly what she didn't want. Of all things she wanted desperately to believe, it was that Kaiba wouldn't touch something he deemed his brother's.

So, now, unguarded, unprepared, Elizabeth was unusually vocal, especially on her hopes that Genia would someday be taken care of.

"My mother is a good woman. Strange, but smart with money, and a good woman. It's my father who's almost bankrupted us a few times," she told Anzu seriously, carefully cleaning a ring of tea off of the table with her napkin. "I love my father, I really do, but it seems like he has no concept of expense. My whole family has lived in the same crowded old house since my older sister was born. I can't even imagine how dirty it's gotten since Genia and I left."

Anzu tried to attend, smiling fixedly. "Older sister?"

Elizabeth gave her a sad half-smile. "Celia has some issues. But yeah, there's eight of us in total- my older sister, me, Genia, our younger brother Devon, the twins, Jennifer and Dawn, and, of course, our parents." She gave a little shrug and smiled. "You can't imagine how weird it was to get out, at first. Neither of us had had our own rooms before." She faltered, and then smiled again, this time with shy excitement. "I really hope Mokuba's brother likes Genia. Seeing her excited about anything is new to me, too. Back home she was always very sarcastic. Bitter, almost. She had to give up a chance at being a model to help mom and I."

At this, Anzu's attention was sharply regained. "Genia? A model?"

"Yeah. Pretty big agency, too."

Anzu frowned. She knew the feeling of having to give up on a dream. The year before, she'd blown out her knee during a particularly intensive practice session. The doctor had forbidden from exercising with such vehemence without a proper knee brace, and she knew that wouldn't be an option at Julliard. "Was that was she wanted to do?" she asked.

The older sister gave her an odd smirk. "No. She just doesn't like being told she can't do things, or that things aren't option. Really, that's why she came here with me." Elizabeth laughed, and shook her head. "Dad told her there was no way she'd learn Japanese _and_ raise enough money to finance her year here in less than eight months. So what does she do?" She leaned in conspiratorially, looking playfully amused. "She got a job teaching English to local Asian children, along with school and her other two jobs. It was ridiculous- she was always running in and getting changed and running out again. It seemed like she was never home, but, in the end, she's here, right?"

Anzu couldn't help but laugh. The idea of the normally bubbly Genia being so inclemently ambitious, let alone so stubborn, sounded strange to her. "Seriously?" she asked, now genuinely curious.

Elizabeth nodded after taking a sip from her tea."Yeah. She's a lot like Kay- moreso now than she was then. I still wouldn't want to mess with her." She stopped, thoughtful. "I wouldn't want to mess with Kay, either, mind you."

Anzu smiled distractedly; her attention was drawn frantically to the opening door of the small café they were sitting in. Who would come in this late on a Wednesday? Who but Seto Kaiba could it be, she wondered? It was inevitable- the one time it was just her and Elizabeth, cornered, it would be him. Of course he had followed them there. _'How could I have been so naïve?'_

It was Genia who came tottering through the door, looking a little disheveled and very dreamy. Elizabeth laughed at the sight of her, and called her over. "Had fun on your date, I see?" She asked teasingly.

Anzu felt like an idiot. She had been seconds away from grabbing Elizabeth's hand and bolting through the back, and here was the proof that she was overreacting wildly. She tried to smile at Genia and ended up just looking miserable. _'I'm going insane,'_ she thought.

Genia, luckily, was too busy giggling to notice. "I have so much to tell you both," she told them eagerly, sliding into a chair across from them.

"Let me tell you about Mokuba."

_(W/A)_

Jonouchi had come to the conclusion that Seto Kaiba was, in fact, a 'sick fuck'.

It was a term he had learned from Elizabeth, and he thought it suited quite well.

The first thing he had done was ask around. It had seemed simple enough, and he didn't think anyone would think much of another person asking one more question about the infamous CEO of Kaiba Corporation. Most of the things he was told he took to have a very small margin of truth. There were even a couple of people who claimed Kaiba had abducted their children and was involved with promoting child labour.

He was skeptical of those.

A few said they'd had family members and friends who had worked for Kaiba go missing. The blonde wasn't sure how he felt about those.

The other, somewhat more sedate things he heard he found much more disturbing, because they rang true with what he knew of Seto Kaiba. Things from women who claimed they had worked in his house as cleaners- stories about rooms that were never opened, about mysterious men coming in at all hours of the day and refusing to give their names at the door. One woman, a pretty thing in her early thirties, claimed that one of these men had held her coworker down and raped her over Kaiba's dining room table while she hid in an alcove.

Apparently Kaiba had walked in and just looked at them, dispassionately, before having the man forcefully escorted off the premises and firing her. His contact said she'd seen that table taken away by a garbage pickup service the next day, and had quit, out of fear, a few weeks later.

She also said she saw a picture of the man in Missing Persons section of the paper less than a week later. He asked for the woman's address. She gave it to him.

Judging by the location of apartment, her severance package was unusually generous. Jonouchi thought it was probably a very kind 'keep your mouth shut' from Kaiba. When he rang up and told the woman what he'd have liked to ask her, she shut him out.

He took that to mean he was correct.

_(W/A)_

Mokuba was in heaven, and that was fine.

He hadn't interrupted his work for over five hours, and _that_ was very unusual. When he'd gone down to check on the young lovers, he discovered that Genia had already left. He was correct in assuming that they had never even noticed his absence or missed his presence at all.

That was fine too.

Seto Kaiba had found sweet solace in the world of computer imaging. He felt stable again. He had imagined perfection, and the realization of just her hard bright eyes had brought him a cruel sort of triumph. She needed much more detail, and there was so much to be done, but he was in control again.

Genia was a shadow of her perfection. His brother could have her.

Now, stepping back into his home office, he looked up with a cold sort of pride at his creation. She smiled reflexively at him, revealing a small coding error as pixels twitched and spasmed in the left side of her face. "Don't worry," he told her.

"I'll fix that for you, Alice."

_(W/A)_


	5. Panic

_Note: Welp, here comes Chapter Five! I'm pretty unhappy with the state of this story, mind you; I really enjoy writing it, but the lack of reception I'm getting is discouraging. I know most people on this site dislike non-canon pairings and OCs particularly, but I'm starting to wonder if this is just not cutting it, and I'm overestimating my writing abilities. Sad faec, guys, sad faec. If you actually enjoy this, please let me know!_

_I'm also too impatient to get to the good stuff to lollygag around and write a new chapter every week or so, like a normal person. I apologize._

_It also seems inherently very wrong to refer to Kaiba as Kaiba and not Seto when writing from Mokuba's relative viewpoint, so bear with me; it's Seto in that/those parts. _

_Edit: And now Genia and Elizabeth are the only people not taking ANYTHING seriously._

_ALSO SOMETHING IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN HOLY SHIT THIS IS VERY EXCITING. Except not. Holy crap this was a boring chapter. Nothing happened! What the fuck?! _

_Disclaimer: If I owned Yu-Gi-Oh or any affiliated merchandise, not only would I not be writing fanfiction for it, I also wouldn't have a disclaimer here. It belongs solely to Kazuki Takahashi. 'Kay-thanks- and- bye, guys._

_White Alice_

_Chapter Five: Panic_

Mokuba Kaiba was starting to worry about his brother.

It had been a week since he'd brought Genia home, and four days since they'd started dating, and from the first, his brother had been uncharacteristically polite, friendly and supportive. He even smiled sometimes.

It was frightening him a little. The concept of his brother being tolerant, maybe even accepting or approving, in a stretch, of his girlfriend, was understandable. The idea of him actively supporting it was mind-boggling. He hadn't even wanted to allow Mokuba a fishtank in his room due to his skepticism of the young man's maturity. Mokuba grimaced a little at the memory. It had been a long, hard battle.

Now, sitting at the dinner table across from his brother, he was aware more than ever of the new oddities in Seto's behaviour. The tall brunet was eating not only hastily, but much more than usual, which didn't fit well with Mokuba's prominent-_ 'And recent,_'he thought sheepishly- memories of sharp reprimands on his sloppy and gluttonous eating habits. His hair was also awry, looking more like Jonouchi's tousled mop than the normally smooth, immaculate shag his brother sported even at home. Mokuba guessed he'd forgotten to schedule his latest haircut. And to buy more Italian pomade. And, well, to use his hairbrush.

_'Okay, something is seriously wrong.'_

He was hesitant to say anything for fear of an outburst. Normally Seto was very patient and reasonable, at least, if not yielding, but Mokuba couldn't remember ever having seen him in such a bizarre state. He watched as his older brother leaned heavily on one bony elbow, and realized with a feeling of complete unreality that he was wearing a t-shirt._ 'A normal, baggy red t-shirt. Like, not an expensive, long-sleeved dress shirt or full-length undershirt.' _He hadn't even known Seto owned t-shirts.

"What did you do to my brother?" He hadn't meant to ask it, but it was out of his mouth before he could think. He'd never had Seto's ability for tact or deduction, and his curiousity was overwhelming. He folded his lips inwards in mute embarrassment.

Seto just looked at him for a moment, still hunched over his plate. "Have I been acting strangely?" he asked, sounding vague. Mokuba recoiled at his lack of reaction. It was just another, stranger element to this new behaviour, because his older boy was nothing if not consistent.

He swallowed nervously and considered brushing it off as nothing, but his concern overpowered the urge to maintain relative peace. _'After all,'_ he thought, _'I have to make sure Seto is alright. I'm the only person he's got.'_ He felt a little guilty for even considering backing down. "Yeah, you've been acting weird, Big Brother," he told him, and waited a moment before continuing. "You've been very distant lately." He thought that was acceptably tactful.

Seto smirked, but in a detached sort of way, and tucked his elbows backwards, seemingly without thinking. "I apologize, Little Brother. I've been very busy lately. I'm working on a personal project that is very important to me."

For a moment, he smiled genuinely, and if it weren't for how brief and out-of-place it seemed, it was a sight that would have both comforted and overjoyed Mokuba.

Instead, he just felt more unhappy and confused.

_(W/A)_

Genia was, proverbially, over the moon.

In reality, she was defiantly and determinedly happy.

Anzu had been less than receptive towards her enthusiasm concerning Mokuba's brother. The slim teen had her suspicions, and most of them involved Anzu already being familiar with the strikingly handsome and helpfully discreet Seto Kaiba.

Mokuba may not have noticed his leaving, but she had, and it was much appreciated. Her night with Mokuba had gone spectacularly, in fact. As a result, she felt a strong sense of loyalty and respect towards the young man, and Anzu's unhelpfully obtuse efforts to dissuade her were not being received gracefully.

Genia was very suspicious on the whole.

"She's not telling us something, Lizzie," she told her sister, tucking her long legs under her. The couch wasn't quite broad enough to accommodate her long, slim figure. She looked over in envy at Elizabeth's much more voluptuous one.

Elizabeth reacted as reasonably as she'd expected, but with a surprise. "Yeah, I got that too," she admitted. "I think Katsuya knows something, too. He's been avoiding me lately…" She paused to take sip from her water and change the channel. "At first I thought he was scared off by the fact that I'm older, but Hiroto said he'd dated a woman in her twenties about a year ago, so I don't think that's it." She sighed heavily, and the action caused her enviably full chest to rise and fall in a circular motion. Genia laughed a little.

"It can't be anything you don't have enough of," she drawled. Elizabeth threw a pillow at her. "But, seriously now," she said, sobering, "There's something going on. I've heard Seto's name mentioned before, but no one will tell me what the connection is." She slumped backwards, frustrated. "You'd think that after a month here they'd trust me a little more! I haven't done anything weird yet. Well, that I know of."

Her older sister sent her a sad little half-smile before speaking. "I know what you mean. I definitely remember Yugi talking about Mokuba's brother when we first moved her, but when I asked Katsuya, he wouldn't even admit to knowing who the guy is. That boy is with Yugi pretty much constantly, so if Yugi knows him, I'd bet that he does too." She grimaced a little and straightened her bra. "Can you tighten my strap, Genny?"

Genia shrugged and scooted closer to help. "Yeah, sure. Maybe you should get resized?" Elizabeth just laughed.

"You really think they'd sell my size in Japan?"

The tension of the subject was dissipated by their laughter.

_(W/A)_

Anzu had been thinking about April.

It wasn't the month that was on her mind.

_"You're very lucky, you know,"_ she'd told her. _"You're pretty to start with."_ It seemed like such a bleak proposition. Mainstream cosmetic surgery was something she'd always assumed would keep its place in South Korea. As revolted and frightened as she was by it, she was drawn to it, to that platinum blonde April on the poster.

Lying on her bed in the late Wednesday heat, she thought, _'I could __**be**__ that,'_ and then cringed. She didn't want to be that, she knew. That was something that was different from what she wanted, some that was_ not Anzu_. She was reminded forcibly of an old American movie about a man who returns from space not only as a different person altogether, but as a monster.

She was depressed to realize that that was part of the draw. _'Do I really hate myself that much?'_ she wondered, and realized that she did.

The revelation stunned her.

Anzu Mazaki had never been one to mope around or sink into self-pity. That was part of the problem. _'How did I never realize before?'_ She stared up at the ceiling fan. _'I'm a caricature. Something less than real. Just a pretty face and a pep talk.'_

_"You're just the cheerleader, Mazaki."_

She could hear his voice saying it as though he were sitting on the bed beside her, whispering under the whirr of the fan. _'Seto Kaiba.'_ And he was usually right. She had understood in a rudimentary sense before, but since her visit to the clinic, she comprehended. She was less real than April, that ugly-to-pretty Asian posterchild who had been reduced to an impossibly heaving bosom and a normal, pleasant voice.

"I am a collection of legs and arms, of fingers and toes," she recited. Before, it had been mantra of hope, of wholeness. Now it felt like a damning prophecy. "I am a pair of eyes, of lips, of ears."

"I am a collection of the whole, and I am all my pieces."

_(W/A)_

Jonouchi could feel Elizabeth drawing away from him, and he was clinging desperately.

He hadn't been able to find anything truly damning, and was unwilling to charge into the fray as he had so many times before. This time, he had something to lose. Elizabeth. Beautiful, smart, soft-spoken Elizabeth, with her wide, curving hips and strong, generous thighs.

"Damn it," he swore as another door was slammed in his face. Of the last week, the first day had been the most fruitful. Since then, it appeared word had gotten around, and no one was willing to speak to him about so much as the Kaibas' grocery bill.

He didn't realize he was chewing his lip until he drew blood. He had an idea, a precarious thought, on how to get inside Kaiba's head. He didn't think Elizabeth or Genia would approve if they knew.

There were very few places, people, or things that Kaiba put his trust in, and Jonouchi knew he didn't have access to at least two of those. He did have access to one, a precious commodity, due to Genia, though, but he knew it would be hard to play.

Mokuba.

Smart kid, he thought. Really, really smart. Maybe smart enough to ruin everything, but hopefully lovesick enough not to.

Jonouchi was willing to gamble that Genia's long legs and big eyes would be ample enough distraction for a fifteen-year-old. It was a high stakes gamble, yeah, but worth it if it worked. Worthwhile and potentially dangerous.

He had come to admit to himself that all of his friends habitually underestimated people. They were all dreamers, idealists. He, himself, didn't have the good parenting or high intelligence to have such high-flown expectations of mankind. He knew what he had seen, and he expected what he knew.

He had seen Seto Kaiba do some pretty low things to get what he wanted. He remembered Yugi dueling the brunette outside of Pegasus' castle, saw that moment where Kaiba had threatened to kill himself. Jonouchi would have let him. He had known already that there wasn't a thing he could say that would make Yugi.

He remembered Kaiba's contempt and disdain for all of them, and his friends' endless, fruitless attempts at breaking the ice, and felt ashamed for knowing and not being able to explain. He wanted to shake each one of his friends, especially Yugi, until they had whiplash, so that they would _know_. They needed to know what he knew.

He knew that Seto Kaiba was a more vicious animal than he or his father had ever been.

_'I'm sorry, Mokuba,'_ he thought, and picked up the telephone.

"Hey, Genia…"

_(W/A)_


	6. Evolution

_Note: Welp, it appears that if I even think about discontinuing this story, loyal White Alice follower Vampiric Dragonrider will do bad, bad things to me. Eek. (By which I mean thank you for your continued, if somewhat vehement, support!) So here's Chapter Six. _

_But fer srs, guys, I know how to use the Story Stats page, and there's at least ten of you sneakily reading non-canon fiction and guiltily not reviewing. I find it very amusing that I always have exactly thirteen views on the newest chapter within a day or two of posting. One of those is my re-read chapter reference for the new chapter. (Another is obviously Vampiric Dragonrider. Haha!)_

_Oh well. At least I haven't gotten any negative reviews._

_Exciting things are happening! Exciting, I tell you! Jesus, this chapter is writing itself. It's taken me an hour and a half to write three pages, and this story is totally unscripted. I'm sort of just rolling with it. I know where I want it to go, but I don't know if it'll go there._

_Somehow April has gotten way more screentime than I ever intended. She was supposed to be a plot device, God damn it, not a real person!_

_Edit: Yay, reviews! Thank you, peoples. I feel validated again._

_I am having way, way too much fun writing this._

_Secondary Edit: I… finished this without meaning to finish it. When I went back later to continue, I realized it was already longer than any previous chapter. _

_Terchiary Edit: What the hell. So, this was done two days ago, but the uploader was having a hissy fit. Here's Chapter Six._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, any affiliated merchandise, concepts, or characters. Yu-Gi-Oh is owned by Kazuki Takahashi._

_White Alice_

_Chapter Six: Evolution_

Elizabeth was ecstatic when Jonouchi invited her over.

Of course, her excitement was dampened by the fact that Genia and her boyfriend were there as well. She felt that was something she could handle, though.

What she couldn't handle, however, was the blonde's inattention. To an outside view, it would have appeared that she was perched on the edge of a love triangle with Mokuba as the centre. She was used to attention- didn't love it, but was used to it. She had to be- she'd hit puberty at the tender age of nine. She'd had a D cup by age twelve. She'd had first boyfriend by age thirteen. She'd lost her virginity by age fourteen.

She'd had her heart broken by age fourteen. She hadn't bled her first time. He'd screamed at her and called her a whore. She had been abandoned in another province, with nowhere to stay, with a full week, until her flight back.

Yes, attention was something she was all too familiar with. She crossed her arms across her stomach self-consciously. _'What if I'd been like Genia?'_ she wondered, looking at the back of Jonouchi's head, at his hand, curled around another beer. _'Would you love me then?'_

Elizabeth Visser was quiet for a reason.

She didn't intend on being quiet now.

"What the fuck, Jonouchi?"

He looked startled at her sudden outburst. "What?" he asked. She stared at him stonily.

"I need to talk to you." It wasn't a request. She shot a nervous, impatient look over his shoulder at Mokuba. "Right now." She amended.

It was the look of petulant defeat that brought tears to her eyes. _'You really hate the idea of being alone with me that much?'_ she wanted to ask. She couldn't bring the words to her lips, and hated herself for it. She wasn't a fighter. She never had been. She led him into kitchen and closed the adjoining door.

"What do you want?" he asked her, hands tucked dismissively into his pockets. She gritted her teeth.

_'Not "What do you need?" or "What's wrong?" or even "What's up?", just "What do you want?" Jonouchi, you fucking dick.' _She looked away from him, arms still crossed in front of her stomach. She knew it was a vulnerable pose, but it was one she couldn't help. "What's wrong with you?" she asked quietly. "Why are you acting like this?"

He looked surprised again, and then annoyed. "Like what?"

"Like an asshole!" she whispered harshly, and then shut her eyes. It was out, and it felt good in the going, a little bit like cleaning a wound. "You haven't spoken to me all night. You've just been having a… God, a 'bromance' with Mokuba this whole time! Even Genia's starting to freak out."

It was a strong term, but true enough. For the last hour, Genia had been sending her impatient, territorial _"What the fuck, Elizabeth?"_ looks that she had only been able to answer with shrugs. By Jonouchi's hands, Mokuba was steadily getting more inebriated, and apparently noticed nothing.

He watched her for a moment, hands still in his pockets. She thought he looked a little sad. "I'm sorry," he said. "Please don't cry."

"I'm not-" She was. She hadn't realized it, but there were tears streaming down her face. Jonouchi curled her against his chest, and she started bawling in earnest.

"Hey, hey…" he mumbled. "Calm down." His fingers felt good in her hair. "Don't worry. There's… just something I have to do, okay?" She grimaced, unable to form words around the force of her sobs.

_'I'm making a fool of myself,'_ she thought angrily. _'This isn't what I intended.'_ She tore away from him and scrubbed at her eyes. He gave a little laugh, and she looked up.

"God, look what you've done," he said, smiling. She looked at her hands, and realized she had smeared her mascara across her cheek. Elizabeth covered her face. She could still hear the warmth in his voice. "Go clean up. I'll get your purse, okay?"

She hiccupped a little, and then laughed as she stumbled into the doorframe.

_'And now I look drunk.'_

She sighed, and started to clean off her makeup. Jonouchi left her purse on the counter, but didn't stay.

She was glad.

_(W/A)_

Seto Kaiba was furious.

For the first time since he had started creating Alice, he had gone out to look for his brother, craving social interaction. He had grown aware that he had been acting strangely. He had awoken that morning to the realization that his new, more generous eating habits had added bulk to his admittedly rather scrawny frame. Having always been a believer in rather rigorous, scheduled exercise, the bulk wasn't fat, but he was startled by the difference in such short a time. Even his mood was affected.

The realization of today had changed from weight gain to Mokuba's noticeable absence. He was amused, and assumed they were together at Genia's. When he had gone to check, on a cursory thought that it would be prudent, he discovered that was not the case.

He was puzzled, at first, as to why Mokuba would be in such a low-rent district. Genia lived in a mediocre neighborhood, he knew, but not a slum. As far as he was aware, Mokuba didn't even know anyone below average income.

Of course, it was then that he realized. _'The mutt.'_ He clenched his jaw. Nothing to do with Katsuya Jonouchi was ever good news, and he had no doubt this was the same. He briefly toyed with the prospect of having to explain to his younger brother how he'd known where he was, and then dismissed it. Mokuba wouldn't be happy, but for once, that didn't matter.

He called his driver.

_(W/A)_

She'd found herself there again without really knowing how. It was the draw o0f the place, she supposed. The needing to know. She wanted to feel more real, and it was a strange thought to her that becoming less real was the way to do it.

_'Other people cut themselves or get innumerable piercings and tattoos for this kind of thing, Anzu,'_ she thought. _'You've never been able to do anything right, have you?'_ It was a surprisingly heady feeling, walking through those doors again. April was at the desk.

"I remember you," April said, and gave her a sad smile. "It's okay, you don't have to explain. A lot of people faint if they're not prepared. It's a lot to get your head around." Anzu couldn't help but smile back. April's face didn't seem so frightening, so alien anymore.

It seemed like a beacon of hope.

She smiled back hesitantly. April's lovely face lit up, and it took her breath away. Smiling normally, she was gorgeous, but with that expression of exquisite delight, her face took on a look only the illusion of perfectly proportioned and symmetrical features could create. "I want to smile like that," Anzu told her frankly. It felt good to say it. It was an honest, from the soul desire that she could do something about. That was a heady feeling.

April and beckoned her over to the desk. "Here, look at this," she said, digging through a bag she'd whisked out from under the desk. Anzu felt immeasurably better to discover that everything in it was normal- cellphone, wallet, tampons, compact- and realize that April was, in fact, still a normal human being. Something inside her had identified her as something alien that didn't eat or drink, just left work to climb into a vat of preservative fluid and provide nourishment for the hive mind.

She blinked. _'What a strange thought.'_

She could see it vividly in tones of green, and her mind kept providing a big, glaring KC logo etched into the glass. _'Subtle, brain,' _she thought. _'Subtle.'_

The redhead produced a photograph of two young Asian women standing together. She pointed to the one on the left. "That was me," she said. Anzu looked, and realized she could see faintly see it. Her wide lips were still the same, as well as her unusually high forehead, and the tip of her nose still shared that slight Asian roundness. It was remarkable.

In the photograph, the girl on the right was passably pretty, but the girl on the left was not. She was that delicate balance of homely and ugly that made a person completely invisible to every kind of attention, from derision to admiration. "I keep it with me to remind me how far I've come," April admitted.

Anzu's heart ached for her, and for the first time, she connected with the young woman, and understood her. _'Maybe I've been overreacting.'_ She bit her lip, examining the photo closely. _'How can it be so wrong for someone to… better themself? Isn't that what this is?'_

Something inside her screamed that no, it wasn't. Something said that everyone should love themselves for how they were, and that beauty was an illusion. She told that part of herself that it could no longer afford to be so naïve.

April smiled that beautiful, happy smile at her again. "If you want, I could probably convince Doctor Takahashi to squeeze in a consultation for you this afternoon. No pressure, though. What do you say?"

Anzu swallowed. _'It's just a consultation. It's not like it's surgery.' _She returned April's smile, feeling a little self-conscious about her teeth. "Yes, I'd like that," she said. April lit up again.

"I'm April Mizuki, by the way," she said warmly. Anzu wanted to say she knew that, but the parallel felt too delicate to disturb.

"Anzu Mazaki," she said instead.

_(W/A)_

Seto Kaiba had seen his brother in many states worth embarrassment, but he had never seen the boy drunk at three in the afternoon.

The desire to slam Jonouchi's head into a wall until he stopped moving was overwhelming. Instead, he walked in, past the gawking blonde, and lifted his brother off of the sofa easily. "We're going home," he told the feebly protesting boy. He looked at the only slightly less intoxicated-looking Genia, and spoke. "Would you like a ride, as well?" She rubbed her face with a hand, looking lost.

"Yes…" she mumbled. "Yes, please. Thank you. Wait." It was another moment or so before she'd collected her thoughts, and then she shot up off of the couch. "Elizabeth," she said firmly.

He was understandably puzzled, which didn't go well with his seething mood. "I beg your pardon?" She gestured vaguely, and scowled.

"Elizabeth," she said, more loudly. It sounded almost like a call.

Jonouchi finally began to move. "What the fuck are you doing here, rich boy?" he spat. "Don't you have more important things to do than break into my house?" He swayed for a second, and then looked down at the bottle in his hands with an expression of bright confusion. Kaiba adjusted Mokuba so that his teetering weight was supported by one of his arms, and grabbed the blonde with the other.

"First, you let me in, you drunken imbecile," he snarled. "Second, I came to get my underage brother and his underage girlfriend, both of which _you_ have been allowing to imbibe without supervision." He shoved the boy away. "I would ask if you were irresponsible or just stupid, but I already know the answer to that."

Genia appeared to have her wits together by this point, and was shakily struggling with the door to the kitchen. Kaiba frowned, shifted his hold on his brother, crossed to her, and pulled the jammed door open.

Inside, he saw Elizabeth Visser for the first time.

He vaguely recalled her from his moment of seeing Genia, but understood that her back was to him. He also immediately comprehended that the two were sisters. The similarities were too marked to mistake.

Most importantly, from Jonouchi's reaction, he realized that this was someone very important to the blonde. Looking at her generous figure and knowing Jonouchi's simple mind, it didn't surprise him at all.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "Genia was pulling the wrong way."

It was nonsensical, but at least she was a complacent drunk, he thought. He made his choice at that moment, and shoved a staggering Jonouchi to the side. "Would you like a ride home as well?" he asked her in English, composing his face into an expression of quiet concern. She gave him a little smile.

"Yes, please." She looked unhappy for a second, and then stuck out a hand. "I'm Lizzie."

He took it graciously, and gave her his best smile, trying to keep the mischief out of it. "Seto Kaiba. It's a pleasure." She flushed a little, and crossed unsteadily into the living room.

Crumpled in the corner, Jonouchi realized what was happening. Kaiba looked down and gave him a dark smile.

"Fuck you," he said, before blacking out.


	7. Sentience

_Note: Onto Seven! This is shaping up nicely. The real plot comes soon! Yay!_

_I also didn't even intend any of this. The original outline of the plot I had for this was simply about Kaiba and Alice and shenanigans to come. This just… evolved out of nowhere. It just exploded out of my braincase in a fit of forceful genius. I don't even know where this came from. _

_Edit: Sorry for the wait, my lovelies. My braincase was exploding with genius and it caused complications. By which I mean I was working. _

_Double-Edit: Holy shit, this is now longer than Simply Biological. What the fuck barbeques and all that jazz. Yeesh, I'm becoming a productive creature. Save me, internet!_

_Disclaimer: Don't own it. Belongs to Kazuki Takahashi. Thank you._

_White Alice_

_Chapter Seven: Sentience_

Elizabeth was thoroughly charmed. A little light-headed and fuzzy, but charmed.

Her first look at Mokuba's brother had confirmed that Genia had not, in fact, been exaggerating when describing him. The brunette was possibly the most physically beautiful person she had ever seen. His face didn't hold the same easy warmth as Jonouchi's, but the stark, compelling draw of those piercing grey-blue eyes was unbelievable, especially when combined with his delicate, angular features.

His smile had sealed it. A little bit mischievous, maybe a tiny bit shy, it was magnetic. _'God,'_ she thought. _'I didn't know people like this existed.'_

She was having trouble keeping her attention on the quietly dozing Genia instead of the man across from her, and as a result, she kept slipping off to the side. The limousine they rode in was like something out of a magazine itself. _'It probably __**is**__out of a magazine,'_ she thought shyly. Her eyes met his. He smiled at her again. In the dimmed light of the limo, it looked almost menacing. She did a double-take, and Genia muttered something in her sleep. _'My imagination is acting up. I need to lay off the hooch, Jesus. What would Kay say?'_

"Never drink alone," she muttered, and snorted. Mokuba's brother raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "You're very quiet," she said by way of explanation, and then looked down at her hands, confused. "What am I saying?"

He laughed quietly. She couldn't help but think that his voice was very pleasant. "Don't worry. It's fine. You need to sleep."

She looked up at him from under her dark eyelashes. "Where's Mokuba?" She couldn't remember. Her head felt heavy.

A smile. "He's with the driver, in the front. Don't worry."

"Ah." She tried to nod and smile, and ended up grimacing embarrassingly. "Fresh air will be good for him."

Mokuba's brother was watching her, and even in the half-light, his eyes looked too light and luminous to be real. She fidgeted as he leaned forward. "I'm going to take you to dinner sometime. Is that too presumptuous of me?"

Elizabeth could feel her face heating up. Something about that request had struck her as funny, and she was laughing, but she couldn't quite comprehend why. "You and your brother have similar taste, eh?" She bit her lip as soon as she said it, mortified.

He chuckled, and smiled again. _'Definitely the lighting in here,'_ she thought. "I'm sorry. I'm useless right now," she mumbled, tucking her chin to her chest and catching Genia mid-fall once more.

"Don't be." The way his bright eyes were narrowed made her vaguely uneasy. "I think you're very useful."

She couldn't decide if that was a compliment.

_(W/A)_

He'd woken up with a headache, and been slow to move from the corner where'd he fallen. His back and knees ached, and his mouth tasted like an after-rinse of vomit. It wasn't until he'd staggered to his feet that he saw Elizabeth's wrap and remembered.

Now he was panicking.

Seto Kaiba's intentions were obvious. _'None of this Caucasian preference bullshit,' _he thought. He could still remember it, what he'd said the year before. _"I take pleasure in crippling my adversaries,"_ he'd intoned, casually, as though it were nothing. Jonouchi was fairly certain that that was the last time Yugi had tried to incorporate Kaiba into the lunch group.

It made the blonde uneasy that he'd been looking at him, not Yugi, when he'd said it.

He suspected that Kaiba was aware that he wasn't as naïve as his friends. It seemed to make the most sense. Taking Elizabeth from him seemed like a small warning, a quiet _"Watch where you step"_ in his direction. He tried to convince himself that it was fine. She was just another girl.

He knew that was bullshit.

The idea of Kaiba so much as putting a hand on her shoulder made his blood boil. Just the idea of him kissing her made him despair. "Can I compete with that?" he muttered. His voice sounded rusty to his ears. The image of Kaiba smirking down at him was fresh in his mind. "_Fuck_," he groaned.

There was something about Elizabeth that inspired something strange in him. The first time he'd looked at her, all he'd been able to think was, _'Wow. What a beautiful woman.'_ Not hot, or pretty, or even sexy. Mai had been sexy. Anzu was pretty. Miho was hot.

Elizabeth was beautiful.

His brain had shut down at the sight of her, leaving him scrabbling for filler until it returned. It hadn't yet, he thought wryly. "_Fuck._" The blonde moaned again as his back popped. His idea for gleaning information of Kaiba was looking more and more idiotic in hindsight. "How the hell did he even know the kid was here?" Jonouchi muttered. _'It's a mystery.'_

"It **is** a mystery," the blonde told his empty apartment, and then sat down heavily in the middle of the floor. "This… why this?" He looked up at the coffee table its multitude of empty beer and cooler bottles. "Overestimated myself." He shook his head. "Goddamn it."

He ground his teeth as he picked up her wrap. _'I need to go to her apartment to return this,'_ he thought sensibly.

Something beating frantically inside his temples added, _'Before it's too late.'_

_(W/A)_

Doctor Takahashi had a reassuringly natural looking face. He was attractive, tall, and slim, but seemed more like the sort of person that you'd see turning heads on a local bus than posing on a billboard. There were even small flecks of grey in his hair. She felt intensely comforted.

"Miss Mazaki, you're a very lucky girl," he told her frankly. She felt her face flush a little. "You already have the most sought after feature our clinic provides, and your blue eyes are quite a blessing. They're natural, yes?"

She smiled a little, and nodded. He murmured something approving.

"Now, did you have any particular concerns about your appearance, or were you looking for recommendations?"

_'Here it is,'_ her brain said, and she suddenly felt light-headed. _'Stumbling into the God machine. Make me new, make me special.'_ The cream walls of Doctor Takahashi's office swam for a moment. He didn't appear to notice her sudden sway, and just continue to look at her expectantly. "I want… I want to be more real," she told him, and then winced. _'That makes no sense.'_

He smiled anyway. "I understand. You're looking for something a little less… ethereal than our April's look?" She stared at him, uncomprehending. "We do offer more subtle adjustments- rhinoplasty doesn't have to be for a noticeably upturned nose or a high bridge… sometimes it's a little that makes the whole difference. Would you like some recommendations?"

_'That word again,'_ Anzu thought. _'Recommendations. Recommend a treatment for my special brand of ugly. Tell me what's wrong me, so I can decide whether to fix it or despair the rest of my life over my flaws.'_

The spell was broken.

"No," she muttered. She realized she was crying. "God, _no_."

Doctor Takahashi looked expressionlessly at her. In the harsh light of the fluorescents, she realized his eyebrows were almost immobile, stuck permanently in their position of polite interest. She began to cry harder.

He continued to look politely at her. "This sort of reaction is normal. You should take a couple of days to get used to the idea of self-improvement, and return. You can make an appointment with April."

"No," she told him fiercely, and left.

_(W/A)_

Mokuba only remembered the second and third times he had vomited. He took it on faith that his brother was telling the truth about the first.

He'd been surprised by how calm Seto was when he'd come to. Usually, the older boy would seethe and seethe until the opportunity came for him to conveniently deliver his killing blow. Mokuba was nervous. _'Did he hurt Jonouchi?' _A horrible thought occurred to him. _'Or Genia?'_

He had a sudden, vivid mental image of his brother leaning on the table with bare elbows, smiling briefly and vaguely under his fringe of messy hair, and shuddered. It seemed more and more as though his brother was coming unhinged, and the prospect of that frightened him.

He knew his brother had a violent temper, and he knew the brunet worked to keep it check. He couldn't remember a time when Seto had truly lost his grip on it, but he had seen the news after Gozuburo's death. Mokuba couldn't deny that it was more than likely his brother was responsible for that. He also couldn't claim remorse for his brother's actions.

He wanted to convince himself that that was because of _who_ the victim was, not that it was an act of simple, violent joy. Gozuburo had done terrible things to both of them, and he'd watched Seto seethe and heard him screaming ragefully in his sleep. He wanted to believe it was _because_ it was him that his brother had done it, had pushed an old man through a window to fall to his death on the rocks below, because he deserved it, and not for any other reason.

Mokuba still couldn't dissuade himself out of the idea that maybe, given the proper motivation, Seto would hurt someone they knew.

Uneasy, he stepped out of bed, wobbling. His head throbbed.

_'I want to know,'_ he thought desperately. _'I have to know.'_

Each stair seemed like a treacherous obstacle, twisting his ankles and pulling at his balance. He stopped halfway, clinging to the banister and trying hard to quiet the thunder in his head. He could hear his brother laughing in study.

It was a hard, triumphant sound.

As he watched, half-kneeling with his head against the wood of the hand rail, his brother walked past towards the garage. Mokuba realized something then. When he thought no one was looking, his brother was as guilty as anyone else of letting his true expressions show there.

The bright-eyed, victorious snarl on his brother face made his him shiver like a cornered animal. When the door clicked, he half-ran down the stairs, heedless and desperate. _'What the hell has he been doing in there?' _He stumbled and fell down the last few steps onto the landing. The cold marble was heaven on his boiling skin.

He wasn't sure how long he lay there, staring across the room at the dark space under the door to Seto's home office, but his sense of urgency when he dragged himself to his feet told him it was too long. He winced as he put his weight on his heel. _'Oh, shit.'_ Mokuba forced himself to hop awkwardly to closest wall, putting his hands for balance. His own sheepish embarrassment in doing so made him feel a little less panicked.

The metal of the doorhandle was cold, and for an irrational moment, he thought it was locked. A second later, the door slid smoothly, silently open in front of him.

One of the terminals was still bright with power, and when he touched the mouse, the screen burst into life. Mokuba couldn't explain what he'd discovered.

He couldn't understand what was remarkable about the woman he was seeing, only that she was rendered in such painstaking detail that it was almost impossible to differentiate her from an interactive recording of a real woman. She smiled reflexively when his hand nudged the mouse again.

Her face was pretty in a very harsh, aristocratic way. It was a long face, almost a hatchet face, with narrow, chilling blue eyes, a long, straight nose and a well-shaped but rather flat mouth. Her skin was a soft, odd yellow-toned white that seemed too strange with those bright eyes. To Mokuba, it was a face that requested with all the expectation of a demand.

Mokuba had finally met Alice.

_(W/A)_


	8. The Eleventh Letter

_Note: Welcome to Eight, my friends, subtitled 'Masochistic Gift Horse'. (Just kidding.) I will now ruin other Original Character stories for you even more and eventually go mad on power and turn into a huge megalomaniac._

_Look upon what you have created!_

_Edit: ANGST. Christ, the angst. I promise it'll get kinda funny soon. Sorry for taking so long to update!_

_Also, for those of you who are confused, all will be made clear soon. This is where the line between reality and improbability gets a little blurred and scary._

_Disclaimer: See previous._

_White Alice_

_Chapter Eight: The Eleventh Letter_

Seto Kaiba stopped for coffee. It was early, yet, and he didn't want to betray his admittedly twisted intentions through his eagerness. Not yet.

The coffee shop was adjacent to his company property, and the strong smell of freshly ground beans had drawn him in. It was an unadvertised, barely noticeable place that filled a hole in an outdoor strip mall, and was therefore almost empty when he entered. No one acknowledged his presence. He approved.

It was also very clean, and he approved of that, too. For all appearances, their selection was passable, too.

He tried to imagine bringing Genia's sister there, sitting with her at one of the small handmade tables and holding normal, easy conversation, and couldn't picture it. _'She's too average,'_ he thought cynically, and waved the attendant over to the counter. _'She'd never appreciate my sensibilities.'_ He examined his own thoughts and dismissed his own pretensions. Yes, he had only met her once, but he was confident she was as transparent as her sister. Both women were obviously weak-willed, servile little girls who required the indulgence of males. Genia had the benefit of beauty, and was therefore forgivable.

He curled his lip at the thought of her sister. _'Disposable, easily.'_ She was an imperfect model.

The paper cup in his hands was gratifyingly hot, and just the smell of it energized him. He left a twenty on the counter for the polite, rather pretty attendant, feeling charitable. She was talking to someone beside him. He turned to leave.

Alice's face looked wrong, somehow. It had the same bright sensuality, and her eyes were narrowed in that fine, serious way he had painstakingly created, but the bright lights of the coffee shop and the glow of the glass counter made her look like a mirage.

He blinked, and then rubbed his hand over his face, ignoring the curious inquiries of the pretty attendant. _'Jesus Christ.'_ He turned to leave again, and glanced back uneasily. The attendant was talking to someone in a red hooded sweater. He shook his head.

_'I'm hallucinating. This is not good.'_

_(W/A)_

A limousine was idling outside of Elizabeth and Genia's apartment building.

Jonouchi felt something heavy drop in his stomach. _'So soon? Oh my God,' _he thought, crushing his hands around the older sister's wrap. It was light blue, and soft under his fingers. He entered the lobby just as the elevator doors closed. He took the stairs.

Something loud and irrational in the back of his mind insisted that it was, had to be Kaiba in the elevator; it was like fate. Things just happened that way, when it came to the final confrontation.

When he reached their apartment, he could already hear a man speaking. He knew, and banged on the door more loudly than even he felt was necessary. He was starting to feel sick with anticipation.

It was a tired looking, but smiling, Genia who answered, looking up at him with those long blue eyes. _'Elizabeth's eyes,'_ he thought, and resisted the urge to slap himself. _'I'm already acting like someone in mourning. What the hell is wrong with me?'_

It was painfully obvious that Kaiba had already been there for some time, because he could smell strong coffee from the door. Elizabeth didn't drink coffee. Genia drank tea. He could see Kaiba's shoes set neatly on the mat behind the younger, taller sister.

Genia grinned at him."Sorry about last night," she apologized cheerfully. "I overestimated myself." He couldn't help but smile sadly back.

"…Yeah. Me too." Even while he spoke, he could hear the soft, carrying murmur of the billionaire's voice. He considered just giving Genia the wrap, and bolting. It seemed so easy just to escape. He chewed his lip for a moment, and then slipped off his shoes. _'I came this far. A little farther, Jonouchi.'_

Elizabeth looked as tired as her sister, but greeted him with a gentle hug regardless. His heart hurt at the fact that neither of them seemed angry. He had expected accusations of recklessness, followed by a long, soul-scraping talk that would leave him feeling both empty and full. _"They don't care that much, boy,"_ he heard his father say, and winced. _"Nobody cares about trash like you."_

He met Kaiba's eyes over Elizabeth's shoulder as she hugged him, and held her so tight to him that she laughed, startled. "What's up? You can let me go, you know," she chuckled in English. He rested his head in the crook of her neck, closing his eyes. She stilled, obviously confused. "Katsuya?"

"I like you," he told her quietly, deciding he really didn't care about the brunet's reaction. _'The cards are out. I won't play games with you.'_

Elizabeth squeezes him, but didn't meet his eyes when she pulled away. Her eyes flickered over uncertainly to Kaiba where he was lingering in the kitchen. Jonouchi felt his jaw tighten reflexively. "I… things are complicated right now, Katsuya," she said quietly, looking down at her hands.

He sighed, and braced himself. _'No more games.'_

"He'd going to hurt you," he told her bluntly. "Seto Kaiba is not a good person." It was out, and he had no desire to take it back. He could see Kaiba's baleful smirk, and sent him back an equally a hateful look.

Elizabeth's response sent him reeling.

"Look, Katsuya, I know you and Seto have a rough history, but isn't this uncalled for?" She looked genuinely unhappy, but her eyes were so bloodshot that they had never looked a brighter blue. "He told me all about your problems before, and… I mean, stuff like that happens, right? But… that was over a year ago, wasn't it?"

He burst. "You don't understand," he snapped, and then had to look away when tears started rolling down her cheeks. "I don't know what he told you, Elizabeth, but he's done unforgivable things." Just the sound of her quiet, hitched breathing was making breathing difficult.

Kaiba approached him silently, like some sort of large, malevolent wildcat, eyes narrowed and mouth smiling. "Jonouchi, don't you agree that this has gone on long enough?" He voice was pleasant, but full of menace. "This rivalry was futile from the start."

Jonouchi understood his double-meaning immediately, and couldn't stop himself from snarling in reaction. "You're a fucking piece of shit, Kaiba."

"Katsuya!" Elizabeth started crying in earnest, and shoved her hands out against his chest angrily. "Get out."

"Elizabeth-"

She crossed her arms over her chest, sobbing. "Please. Please, just get out."

He went.

He only realized he was crying too when he hit the parking lot.

_(W/A)_

Spending time with Yugi was something she hadn't realized she'd missed so much. In fact, she hadn't even realized she'd been so withdrawn until he'd commented.

She realized that she didn't know what to say. Anzu had never been short of words in her life, but staring down an ex-crush and best friend, she couldn't bring herself to tell him what she'd discovered about herself. She didn't want him to view her as weak, and though she knew he wouldn't, she couldn't tell him.

It felt like it wasn't a real problem until she said it.

So, instead, she said nothing.

They were playing video games, which was a fine substitute for real conversation. Yugi was, of course, winning. He smiled at her sympathetically when she lost, and she beamed back.

_'How could I have forgotten?'_

This was, of course, the first reason she'd been drawn to Yugi. He made her feel comfortable, like everything would be fine, even in their blackest hours. Now, looking at him, she felt appeased in a different way. Yugi made her feel real.

He was looking at her curiously. "What's up, Anzu?" She thought about April, and felt a twinge of sadness for running about past her without a word.

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

It almost bothered her that he accepted it without challenge.

_(W/A)_

He saw her again, walking past him on his way to his limousine, soft blonde hair glowing gold in the sunlight, and ground the palms of his hands into his eyes. When he opened them again, she was, of course, gone. He fought back panic.

While his concern for his sanity was present, it was precluded by a new concern. _'I'm consumed by Alice, when she was meant to be brandished as a beacon of freedom by me.'_ It was a damning realization, and he gritted his teeth in frustration. Perfection had a heady taste and an addictive flavor.

There was no denying it now. He was hallucinating. In the bad light of the coffee shop, it was possible to write off his vision as simple overexcitement and momentary insanity.

He had just watched Alice walk past, heard her feet crunch the gravel, and watched her shadow tiptoe across the parking lot. She had been there, within arm's reach, casually strolling along, as though she belonged.

_'Fuck.'_

He called over his driver uneasily, feeling light-headed. The man came with a look of resigned dread. "You, Nakahara," he growled. The driver opened he mouth, presumably to correct him. "Was there a girl here a moment ago?"

Nakahama looked confused. "A girl?"

Seto Kaiba buried his hands in his hair. "Nevermind. Get me out of here."

Nakahama looked intensely relieved.

Kaiba decided he would fire him when he was safely home.

_(W/A)_

She had crossed into the lobby and up the stairs of the apartment building with relative peace of mind. Ringing up to a different apartment had proved easier than she had anticipated.

When she arrived at apartment 208, she waited, feeling the thrill of mischief creeping up.

The door opened to reveal a red-faced but composed-looking Elizabeth slinging a small purse over her shoulder. The young brunette was so startled that she immediately dropped her keys.

"Kay?!"

_(W/A)_

_Note: And now the fun starts. Didn't think I'd namedrop with zero intention, did you? Sorry for the short chapter, by the way._


	9. KSol: Interrupt

_Note: Sorry this took so long; it's been a little ridiculous, really. I started school, am still working, and am seeing the boyfriend, so my free time is somewhat limited. Now, to end your pain at my last exciting cliffhanger!_

_I can't even decide if this is funny or bizarre. Kaylee's fucking weird. _

_Old Greg reference._

_For those wondering what the hell is going on, it's pretty simple. Take a moment to think about, look back on previous chapters, and reflect. Or, well, just plow onwards until everything makes sense._

_And to warn you, this is where this piece of fiction takes a small turn for the improbable. I'll have to ask you to bear with me; this is the originally intended plot of this story. The rest of it is subplot and secondary to the beneficial havoc Kaylee wreaks._

_Edit: This is also the longest chapter written so far. _

_Double-Edit: Fixed some repetitiveness and basic mistakes that were that result of writing most of this while overtired. _

_Disclaimer: Christ, I'm getting sick of writing these. Seriously, if I owned this, would I be writing fanfiction about it? This would BE the plot._

_White Alice_

_Chapter Nine: The Kaylee Solution (Interrupt)_

Elizabeth was still in shock. It was so unexpected; so sudden.

Of course, that had always been the way her cousin was. Sudden was as good a discriptor as any.

Elizabeth smiled. The blonde on her couch grinned back.

Kaylee Wicker had a face that tiptoed so close to ugly it was captivating. All of the dimensions of it were wrong- her face was too thin, her nose too long, her forehead too high, her eyes too narrow- and it all came together to form a stunningly handsome and prepossessing profile that was at once rendered both unapproachable and magnetic by a hard-set jaw and soft, naturally upturned lips.

In a certain light, she looked a little like a less classic Genia. In another, she looked inhuman. At that moment, Elizabeth felt as though she'd never seen anyone so beautiful. She hurried to cool her tea, and paused. Kaylee smiled inquisitively.

"Why are you here?" It was out before she knew she was saying it. She flushed with embarrassment.

Kaylee raised her hand to her chest in what she recognized as a playfully feigned imitation of hurt. "Elizabeth! Dear, sweet Elizabeth!" An overdramatic sweep of the hands across her temples. Elizabeth couldn't contain a sharp bark of laughter. "Six months without seeing you, and this is the welcome I get? You never came back from Toronto before coming here- I, your dear, loving cousin, had to see you, and… tell you something." Her face fell into total seriousness, something Elizabeth found unsettling and suspect. She frowned.

The moment of silence stretched into a minute. Elizabeth fidgeted, and took the bait reluctantly. "What is it?" she muttered, staring down at the foam rimming her teacup.

"I'm dying."

The brunette's head shot up, face tight with confusion, before she realized that Kaylee's impish melodrama had caught her off-guard. She glowered at her, and Kaylee's smile dimmed apologetically.

"Sorry, doll," she said sweetly, and reached across to hug her. "I missed you. Not going to lie, I was a little hurt when you opted out of coming back for a week. It's not the same without you and Genia around." She frowned suddenly and expressively. "Speaking of which, where is long, hard and beautiful?"

Elizabeth very nearly breathed tea.

Coughing, she waved a hand dismissively and croaked out a shaky answer. The older girl's eyes lit up. "A boyfriend, eh? Well, then- hey, are you sure you're okay?" The brunette indicated to the positive, amused at her cousin's bright lack of concentration. "Well, then, I'm afraid I'll have to stand in your father's place and scare the sweet baby bejesus out of her sweet little hunky manpeach. I did promise Peter," she said by way of explanation.

Elizabeth's throat hurt from laughing. "What's a manpeach?"

The slim blonde deadpanned. "You need more internet." She leaned over, looking soft and calm for the first time since arriving. "Now, sweetie, tell me about _you_."

Elizabeth told her.

_(W/A)_

Anzu was shocked when she saw Jonouchi.

Jonouchi was always lively, always full of energy, whether he was angry, happy, or upset, but when she saw him, it seemed as though every piece of him seemed to have disjointed. He sat limply on his doorstep, like a sack of old trash. His clothes smelled a little like old beer. There was something blue in his hands.

"Woah, Jonouchi!" she joked hesitantly, more than slightly nonplussed. "Are you having water problems, or something? You can always shower at my house, you know, it's not forbidden. Or talk to the landlord. It's not the end of the world." She watched him. He barely reacted, cracking a meager half-smile that seemed purely reflexive. She chewed her tongue unhappily, and opted for directness. "What's wrong?"

He was quiet for a moment, and then sighed heavily. "I lost her. She left me." His voice sounded so defeated, so utterly devoid of life, that she cringed back at the sound of it. "He won, Anzu, don't you understand? I _lost_ her to him." He looked suddenly angry, and glared up at her with bloodshot eyes. "You never should have gotten me involved in this, Anzu. For fuck's sakes, I…"

She realized he was crying , and tentatively sat beside him and took him in her arms. "Jonouchi, calm down. What are you talking about?" She didn't really have to ask. She knew, of course, what he was referring to. It was common sense. She had been dreading it for days, anyway, before she'd… '_gotten distracted.' _When he didn't answer, she sighed. "Kaiba?"

He nodded without looking at her. She squeezed him gently and blinked back her own tears. "I'm sorry. I got you so much further into this than you needed to be." Much to her surprise, he shook his head fiercely, and shoved her away.

"No."

She blinked, this time in confusion. "No?"

He looked at her firmly. "No. I'm… I'm sorry. I got myself this far into this, not you." He moaned a little, running his hands through his disheveled hair.

She laughed at the irony. "Don't apologize. I know that feeling." He smiled a little, this time genuinely. "Now," she said, all business, "Explain to me what happened."

_(W/A)_

Seto Kaiba was discontented.

Alice's face, so painstakingly sculpted into digital perfection, looked wrong somehow. With his eyes just barely unfocused, all was well, but when he looked at her, concentrated on her elegant features, everything seemed wrong. Her hair seemed too ashy, her eyes too blue- even her skin seemed too pristinely even, as though something- a freckle, a pockmark- was necessary to this image of perfection.

He was unwilling to damage what had already proved itself in his mind, but looking at her filled him with futile anger. _'I want more than this,'_ he thought abruptly. _'I want to feel Alice's skin, the curve of her jaw, the tips of her eyelashes. I want to feel them with my fingertips. I want more.'_

Frustrated, he threw his coffee at the wall, where it left a broad, star-like splatter of brown against the cream. His conquest should have left him feeling elated, should have justified him, should have proved that he was superior, if only to someone like Jonouchi.

Instead, he just felt angry. _'I want __**more**__.'_

He fumbled with his cellphone speculatively, considering. There were more pleasurable ways to release tension than wasting expensive Columbian coffee. Consummating a new conquest was an attractive one.

He felt absolutely no qualms about the prospect of releasing his frustrations on Genia's sister. He pulled up her number. _'Fuck it. Fuck this. It's not too soon. I'm Seto Kaiba, goddamnit. She'll come to me.'_

When she answered, he was surprised to hear someone laughing in the background. It was too low, too rich to be Genia. He frowned. "Hello?"

"Hello, Mister Kaiba," Elizabeth said warmly in English. He smirked a little at that and laughed politely.

"Seto, please, Miss Visser. We're not strangers anymore."

He could almost hear her swooning.

She did sound a little flustered. "Hee… um, sorry about the fiasco earlier, that was…"

"That was fine," he said, and winced. _'Too short. I can't be too short with her.'_ He cleared his throat experimentally. "It was fine. I'm sure Jonouchi will calm down soon enough. I want to invite you to dinner."

She was giggling on the other end. Something in his brain recalled an English poem. _'Come into my pantry, little fly,'_ it said nonsensically, and he half-smiled amusedly.

"Seto?" She sounded confused.

He shook off his momentary withdrawal. "I beg your pardon? I was distracted, I apologize."

He could hear her nervousness. "Seto, I'd love to meet you for dinner, but I have a guest. Maybe… you, Kay, Mokuba, Genia and I could all go out together? I know a nice café, if that's okay." She dithered for a moment. "If it's not, that's okay, too, we could do it another time, I hope, it's just an issue tonight…"

He heard someone, presumably this unwanted the party, shout something rude in the background, and Elizabeth angrily reproach her. _'This grows tiresome.'_ He forced a smile anyway, aware it would affect the quality of his voice. "That sounds fine. I'd be happy to spend time together with my brother and your sister."

She sounded relieved. He sounded comforting.

_'You're sleeping in my bed tonight,'_ he thought spitefully at her.

_'There is nothing that will change that.'_

_(W/A)_

He was pleasantly surprised to discover that the café in question was the one he had frequented before visiting Genia's sister earlier that morning, and that improved his mood considerably. It was still just as appealingly cozy and smelled just as strongly of fine coffee, and the instant the warm yellow lights hit his skin, he almost felt that simply coming there was a better stress-reliever than duly abusing the older Visser girl.

He dismissed that thought. Much more lasting amusement would result from his current objective than simple comfortable surroundings.

He spotted a rather disheveled but cheerful-looking Mokuba sitting with the sisters in the corner, and made that his objective. He could already smell the milky sweetness of whatever foamy pseudo-coffee the girls were drinking. Elizabeth looked up, and smiled shyly. Genia greeted him with a hoot and a wave.

Mokuba was staring at Genia, apparently still lost in early infatuation. Kaiba decided that was acceptable. Genia was harmless.

He frowned imperceptibly before sitting. _'Where is the other one? Genia's sister mentioned someone else.' _He made absolutely sure to smile at the girl in question charmingly. _'Someone obnoxious, no doubt.'_

He became aware that Mokuba's eyes were now on him, and looked over to find the young man watching him with an intense expression, as thought he was trying to communicate something. He suppressed an immediate rush of anger. _'Mind your business, little brother,'_ he thought, sending him an expression that was much to the same effect. Mokuba looked away angrily. He smiled again, predatorily.

Elizabeth was talking, something he had already decided he wasn't partial to. She spoke too quietly, and never said anything important. He watched her politely, examining her facial features. _'Such a shame. She'd be acceptably beautiful if she was thinner, like her sister.'_ He resisted the need to curl his lip up in disgust. _'Of course, there's no cure for such a heavy jaw.'_

"Where's your companion?" he broke in, running dangerously low on patience. She looked startled, and he curled his lips apologetically. "I'm very curious."

She laughed forgivingly, toying with her short dark hair. She'd done something to it, he noticed vaguely. It looked smoother. "Kay's talking to the manager about a job," she said softly, smiling a crooked smile he hadn't seen before. "She's not great with Japanese, though, so I'm not sure she'll have much luck."

He made sure to sound politely interested. "We're always in need of bilingual English-speakers at Kaiba Corporation. If her Japanese improves, there's a possibility I can find something for your Kay to do." Her broad smile indicated that he had struck a winning point. _'Deceitful subtlety is something Jonouchi never could have taught you, Miss Visser,'_ he thought spitefully. _'I'm sure you'll learn a lot from me.'_

Her expression flickered uncertainly, for a moment, at what he presumed was a hard look on his part. Fortunately, before any explanation was required, her attention was hastily redirected towards the front counter. Genia looked back as well, suddenly bright-eyed. "Kay, come meet Mokuba's brother!" She called. Mokuba was looking at him again, intently, with a meaningful expression.

Over Elizabeth's shoulder was Alice, still a mirage in the hard yellow commercial lighting, her hair glowing with backlighting. She was wearing a red sweater with the hood up.

_'Again,'_ he thought desperately, running a hand over his face. _'I'm hallucinating again.' _When he looked up, she was still there, examining him with an smooth, unreadable expression, still haloed by cheap store lighting, still wearing her red sweater. From the sound of Elizabeth's voice, she appeared not to notice his alarm.

"Seto, this is Kaylee, our cousin. She's visiting for a couple of months!" Her voice grated on his nerves. Alice's expression changed to amused, and then suddenly broke into a crooked, wicked smirk, something he had never programmed her to do. She leaned over the table, examining him.

"Elizabeth." Her voice was low, rich, like good coffee. "I agree. He is very pretty."

Genia's sister burst into a torrent of embarrassed reproach. Alice laughed heartily in response, still a dark silhouette. He became aware that he was staring. Elizabeth continued to ramble in English.

It was only asAlice turned and sat, as the light hit her slim face on an angle, that he realized something crucial.

_'__I'm not hallucinating.'_

The woman sitting next to his brother had a thin spattering of freckles down her long, slightly asymmetrical nose. Her eyes were very slightly uneven. _'Her eyes.'_

"Your eyes are _green_," he said, and felt immediately humiliated by the childlike awe in his own voice.

She looked at him with her dark eyes, and raised her eyebrows. "Yes. Good job, little boy." She turned to Elizabeth.

"Pretty _and_ observant."

Her sarcasm wasn't lost on him.

_(W/A)_


	10. KSol: Confiscate

_Note: Alright, so we're finally at Chapter Ten and holy shit, I've invested a lot of time in this story. Wow. I haven't spent this much time on a fanfic since… well, since the first major fanfic I ever wrote, which was back on my super-old account, Kawaii Chibi Kitty Angel. It's terrible, I swear to God- I went and read it again and wanted to shoot fifteen-year-old me. It's basically mindless self-serving humour, and, well, it's awful in a number of ways._

_I didn't invest a lot of thought into Brown Eyes, though, so half the chapters are just me trying to make the weekly updates I promised._

_Anyway, back to the subject at hand: White Alice, Chapter TEN. Holy shit, guys! We've made it to the double-digits in chapters, the 20K mark in word count, and about three or four of you have been with me from the start, and I thank you for that. _

_Also, I promise I'll update You're So Spoiled! after this. Sorry, Don't Worry, I've been neglecting you, right after I promised continuation._

_Edit: This may be a little confusing for those of you unfamiliar with existential theory, but hopefully it'll be self-evident enough. Also, this is reaching the climax, and it's getting hard to write without needing wander around talking to myself excitedly, so between that little ADD tic and school, updates may be slow to come._

_Double-Edit: MOMENT OF EVIL GENIUS._

_I keep invisioning the end of this chapter as being accompanied by really sinister, fast-paced music._

_Disclaimer: For fuck's sake, I don't own it._

_White Alice_

_Chapter Ten: The Kaylee Solution (Confiscate)_

Elizabeth wasn't ready to hear it.

"Kay, you've only been here a day- less than a day!- how can you act like you know everything?" she yelled. It was a rare day when the older Visser lost her temper, but Kaylee had that effect on most people. "Jonouchi lost his temper- he's not bright, and he holds grudges- and he has a history with Seto Kaiba! How can you pretend to know what's going on?"

"Your boy there, Jonouchi, was right." Kaylee was high in colour, and tense, sitting on the couch with her fingers steepled over her drawn-up knees. "Yes, he's good-looking. He's successful. Hell, he's a gentleman, for all appearances. But you should _know by now_," she said, suddenly intensely angry, "that pretty doesn't equal nice, Lizzie!" She shot her legs out restlessly. "Haven't we been through this shit with Steven? And let me tell you something- Steven didn't have the resources to _make sure _you came back to him. How many times do you need to learn that people will screw you on a whim before you either get the point or… _fuck_, end up the tormented squeeze of a psychotic billionaire?"

If there was anything Kaylee Wicker was the master of, it was biting realism, and she knew it. Elizabeth, however, was painfully entrenched in her own idealism, and Kaylee knew that, too.

As a result, she was prepared for Elizabeth's painfully juvenile response. "You don't understand! You've never understood!"

A slammed door. Kaylee sighed.

Genia emerged, hesitantly, from the bathroom. "Uh…" She looked from Kaylee to the mess of spilt tea that had accompanied her sister's unusual violent reaction. "What just happened?" And then, "Why did you bring up Steven?"

Kaylee slid down in the couch, grimacing. "Because she just doesn't get it." She looked up, hating the pleading expression that crossed her face involuntarily. "He's going to hurt her, Gen." She sighed. "Seto Kaiba is not a good person."

Kaylee didn't understand why her cousin suddenly stilled, staring at her thoughtfully. "I guess… you're a little bit similar," she muttered, looking slightly perturbed. She rocked back and forth on her heels in a way that the blonde knew meant she was thinking. "We should go visit him."

"Who?"

"Katsuya."

_(W/A)_

Mokuba had never seen his brother agitated for any reason not to do with Kaiba Corporation or Mokuba himself. In fact, he knew for a fact that his brother's personal constitution was as stable as the foundation Kaiba Land was built on.

Seto Kaiba wasn't agitated, persay; he was quietly frantic, pacing restlessly, stiff-legged and distracted, bumping elbows into doorframes and thighs into short hall tables. It was infinitely more alarming than his odd distraction the week before, but comforting in a way. Mokuba bit his lip, suppressing a yawn. _'It was like he was just… slipping away. Now it's like he's chasing ghosts. What is this?'_ The brunet stopped suddenly and stared at him.

"Why didn't you _warn_ me?" he asked again. Mokuba winced a little at the hoarseness of his voice. "You could have called me, or… _fuck._"

It had been interesting, explaining to his brother why he knew about Alice. He supposed he should consider himself lucky that Seto was so completely beside himself with anxiety, because the inevitable result was a short and half-hearted scolding about privacy. _'Followed by this.'_ Mokuba watched him as he continued to pace, without waiting for an answer.

"Seto…" he said, leaning forward in his chair hesitantly. His brother snapped to attention in an almost violent motion. "It's late morning."

He stopped. "Oh."

The cycle of pacing and repeated, vehement questions about Genia's cousin and the misty circumstances surrounding her presence in Japan began the moment they'd arrived home. "It's almost eleven," Mokuba supplied helpfully, and drew his legs up. "I'm not going to school today, by the way." His brother shot him an reproachful look. "Don't even start. You get me up all night with this, and I'm going to sleep, Big Brother. I'm sorry, but that's what's happening."

To his surprise, Seto just nodded curtly, and stalked away to his study. The slam of the study door shook the paintings on the walls.

Mokuba sighed, and curled into himself for a moment before stepping carefully off of the couch onto the cold hardwood floor of the living room. "I just wanted a pretty, sweet, funny girlfriend," he muttered. "When did this get so complicated?"

_(W/A)_

It came as a surprise to Anzu when someone started knocking on Jonouchi's door. As a rule, he discouraged random visitors, preferring to sleep in and make the dash for school. The last few days, since Elizabeth's defection into Seto Kaiba's arms, had found Anzu going to school and coming home to a silent and listless blonde before moving onto her own issues.

As a result, she highly doubted the guests were invited.

For a moment, she considered not answering the door. It was hard to deny the concern that it was something important, but for her, behind every doorframe lurked a Seto Kaiba with a syringe of anesthetic and a soothing voice, asking her, _"Would you like some recommendations, Mazaki?"_

She opened the door for one reason, and one only: She could hear Genia's distinctive Western lilt through the paper walls of Jonouchi's apartment.

She was understandably surprised to see two women.

Anzu's first reaction to Kaylee was to think _'She looks like a crueler Genia,'_ and the first words out of Kaylee's mouth compounded that effect.

"You're a fucking mess. You must be Anzu Mazaki."

Confused pleasantries, followed by the overwhelming and irritated desire to be alone with Jonouchi. She didn't like the way Kaylee's eyes followed her thoughtfully, the earthy green colour of them in that too-yellow face turning colourless and glassy as they flickered away from the light. She felt oddly transparent in front of those eyes.

"Jonouchi is sleeping," she told Genia politely. "He's been having trouble lately."

Genia seemed to understand the hint, and started to withdraw. Her cousin did not.

"So have you, am I right?"

_'Deep breaths, Anzu,'_ she thought. "Yes."

"How?"

It struck her as odd, that question. _'Not __**why**__, but how.'_ She looked down, examining her slim fingers thoughtfully. "I feel ugly on the inside." She wasn't sure why she'd said it, but she felt compelled to. Something about this stranger's glassy green eyes with their stark, cruelly arched eyebrows and sneering lips made her need to explain herself.

"You're an idiot." Anzu looked up, hurt and angry.

She could feel hot tears of anger filling her eyes. _'Why am I crying?'_ She balled her fists. "Don't speak to me that way," she said, voice harsh. "I'm nothing but an… optimistic accessory. A smiling face with nothing behind it." The words were wrong, somehow, and it enraged her that she couldn't communicate the sudden pain that tore at her.

Kaylee's face was an abrupt oasis of sweetness, her lips softened in a smooth, glossy line. "It always amazes me," she said, looking at Anzu with a pleasant expression of confusion, "how anyone who self-examines to the point of existential angst can worry about… well, something like that."

Every moment of understanding Anzu had believed she'd been struck with, every blinding flash of truth, suddenly paled in a humourous wash of yellow.

For the first times in weeks, Anzu laughed until she cried.

In the bedroom, Jonouchi began to dream of laughter.

_(W/A)_

Elizabeth found herself at the gates of the Kaiba mansion, with her fingers resting on the buzzer limply.

She hated Kaylee, sometimes. Kaylee was a logical monster- _the Robot_- her own friends called her, a wildly unpredictable medley of ferocious purpose and amicable confusion. One of Elizabeth's own ex-boyfriend's, a level-headed young farm lad only a year older than herself, had once told her that Kaylee was more like an animal than a person.

Somehow, that only made it harder to brush off her cousin's assertions.

She pressed the buzzer. It seemed to take an impossible amount of effort. The response was so sudden she jumped.

_"What is it?"_

It sounded like Seto Kaiba himself. _'Answering his own buzzer? How odd,'_ she thought, distracted. "It's me. Uhm, Elizabeth. Elizabeth Visser. To see Seto Kaiba?"

His voice was suddenly, comfortingly even. _"Oh, I apologize. This morning has been problematic. Please come in."_

She hastily straightened herself as the gate slid open, tugging at her hair so quickly her fingers snagged, bringing tears to her eyes. "Damn it." She forced them back, almost angry. He was waiting in his doorway expectantly.

It was an odd but enjoyable feeling to be welcomed unconditionally without being expected. He never asked her why she'd come.

She could tell he'd endured a long night himself, despite his immaculate hair and neatly pressed slacks. _'The light in his eyes is burning,'_ her brain thought fancifully, which she quickly translated into the more reasonable _'His eyes are really red.'_ He looked at her thoughtfully for a moment.

"Would you like coffee?"

She smiled. Beckoning, he guided her to the kitchen. It was surprisingly homey, for such a large place, if very modern. The immediately noticeable, much-used wooden cutting board helped, she decided.

She leaned against the counter heavily, feeling suddenly exhausted as the rush of adrenaline subsided. _'What am I doing here?'_ she wondered, propping herself up on her elbows to watch his back. _'He must think I'm bizarre.'_

"Problems with your friends?" he asked suddenly, without turning. She squirmed a little at his insightfulness.

"Yes. With my cousin."

He turned. "To do with me?"

She took a moment to appraise him, eying his unpleasantly blank expression. _'Like a Grecian bust.'_ She pushed off of the counter, standing straight. "Yes."

"Ah." His eyes narrowed, shadowed by his eyelashes in the stark light of the kitchen. "And what do you plan to do, Miss Visser?"

She told herself that she'd begun to shiver because of the sweat cooling along the back of her hairline. "Go back and talk to them, I guess." She looked down, and then back up at him. His marble mask was still in place. She realized he'd moved imperceptibly around the island towards her.

"And what will they say?"

She spoke before she had time to think. "_Seto Kaiba is_ _not a good person_."

He smiled suddenly and with such beautiful ferocity that she cringed backwards in actual fright.

"That is correct."

He pulled the first door to the kitchen closed gently. She glanced over at the entrance they had come through, feeling suddenly both very awake and very uneasy. The white commercial track lighting above her suddenly seemed much too bright. She began to edge towards the door.

His hand closed on her arm before she'd realized he was close to her at all. He leaned down, still smiling, until his face was inches from hers. Her eyes slid sideways, away from his bright pale eyes.

Elizabeth could hear her own heartbeat. _'This is all wrong.'_

He was so close she felt his chuckle reverberate through her.

"It's cute how you still think you're leaving."


	11. KSol: Obfuscate

_Note: I'm so incredibly inspired right now that I simply have to write more __**White Alice**__. It's like… an overwhelming urge. My muse is clawing and my brain and screaming incandescent laughter!_

_Also, Kaylee is a funny, funny bitch. You will discover why. Also, she's easily my favourite character I have ever written at this point. She's just too gloriously bizarre._

_Edit: Remember, the gang has no idea that Elizabeth is at Kaiba's mansion- how could they know? They just think she's off blowing off steam and ranting to Miho, or something._

_Double-Edit: I posted Chapter 10, and then checked up on my hits counter a few minutes later as I'm prone to do. _

_One of you must have been sitting here anxiously waiting, because Jesus, somebody read it the instant it went up. I am very impressed._

_Pi-Edit: Oops, yes, I meant 'Doesn't Matter' last chapter when I was doing my little neurotic notation. And yes, this chapter should clear up some shite! For those confused about Anzu's turnaround: Kaylee makes an off-hand comment about her having an existential crisis, but the issue is that she's questioning everything to do with her own reality, and in doing that, is invoking one of the oldest rules of philosophy: Rene Descartes' 'I think, therefore I am'. _

_In layman's terms, in case I've horribly butchered my philosophy, that means that she's been angsting about her own superficiality and questioning that reality of the person that is Anzu, and has, by proxy, been exerting her own personality to an undeniable extent. If you still don't understand, I apologize; my ability to communicate these strange misfires in my grey matter can be somewhat puzzling._

_This is a really long note._

_Oh, and Vampiric Dragonrider: Say that, and I swear to God I won't update until next spring. _

_I'm lying._

_I'm too attached to this story to let it die. It holds a special part in my little robot heart._

_Also, my hair is aroused by the Abridged Series. By which I mean I've seen it._

_Imaginary Numbers-Edit: It's important to remember that Kaylee speaks in English about 95% of the time._

_Z-edit: Writing the Jou/Eliza scene made me want snuggles incredibly badly. Curse you, White Alice, curse you._

_Aaand now I'm listening to my roommates have sex. Oh joy._

_Disclaimer: No._

_White Alice_

_Chapter 11: The Kaylee Solution (Obfuscate)_

Jonouchi was still useless, despite Anzu's newfound tendency to burst into laughter at odd intervals. When they had roused him, he had looked at Anzu and Kaylee, and then stared at Genia for a moment before slumping back down on the bed.

Anzu had to drag him from his bed to make sure he stayed awake, and then still had been unable to convince him to take anything other than a quick, lackluster shower that left his hair plastered to his face.

Genia couldn't help but notice that Kaylee had looked very thoughtful at that.

It was only when they reached the more Western neighbourhoods of Domino that Jonouchi had bothered to ask where they were going.

"Where do you think we're going, Jou?" Anzu asked, restless with renewed vigour. "I'll give you a hint: We're visiting an old friend while a new friend cools off."

The blonde gave her weary glare, running his fingers through his hair half-heartedly. "What does that mean?"

"Kaiba, Jonouchi. We're seeing Kaiba."

The difference was remarkable; his head shot up, eyes wide and shoulders tense, before he snapped, "Why the hell would we do that?"

Anzu started laughing again, so Genia took it upon herself to answer. "We need to find something to decide the situation- Kaylee agrees with you about Mokuba's brother and Elizabeth, so… well, we decided to see for ourselves."

Though Jonouchi lapsed back into silence, Genia was happy to note that it was a much less listless silence than before. He broke it after a moment, with a question.

"Kaylee's your cousin?"

The lady in question grinned over her shoulder at him. He looked at her with mild interest. "So you're… the naked one?"

She started, obviously shocked, and then began laughing uproariously. Genia buried her face in her hands. "I can't believe Elizabeth told you that story, But yes, that would be this Kay."

Kaylee shot her a crooked smile. "I regret nothing. Honestly, doll, at seventeen, nobody should be scarred by a naked body- let alone one as fine as-" Genia glowered at her. "Uh, well, anyway, teenage boys shouldn't be scared by naked girls, and if they are, that's comedy value waiting to happen. Okay? Oh, come on- Mister Jonouchi, you agree with me, right?"

Much to the younger Visser's surprise, he was actually smiling. "Yeah, I guess. I've never complained about a naked girl."

Kaylee spread her hands expressively. "See? This boy, he knows what he's talking about."

Anzu shushed them. "We're here."

Genia had forgotten how hard it was to get accustomed to the forbidding grandeur of the Kaiba estate; over the week she and Mokuba had spent together, most of it had been spent at her house, and the time at his hadn't been spent loitering outside. Looking up at the dark stone building, she wasn't surprised by Jonouchi's obvious discomfort.

"Swanky!"

Genia was also not surprised by Kaylee's obvious lack of discomfort.

_(W/A)_

He wasn't too proud to admit was enjoying her discomfort.

Genia's sister was still making an effort to play 'happy families' with him, treating his obvious sadistic appreciation of her fear as an elaborate joke. He himself had long-since abandoned the façade of gentlemanly courtesy for more rewarding pursuits.

"It's very kind of you to insist I stay here, Mister Kaiba," she said, "But I do need to get home and help Genia with the groceries."

_'Humanization,'_ he thought, delighted. _'She's trying to make me feel for her.'_ He smiled, taking pains _not_ to hold back the bright wolfish joy he felt in having something to take his frustrations out on. "I'm sure she can handle the groceries on her own, Miss Visser. More coffee?"

The mug in her hands was full. She looked down at it, perceptibly confused as to what to do. "Um, no thank you. I really do need to go home, though. There's so much to be done."

"Groceries does not constitute a day's worth of activity, Miss Visser."

She shifted restlessly in the small chair. "There are other things," she said desperately. He smiled at expectantly. "The others will expect me back, and there are-"

"No, they won't."

She stopped, and looked at him, her pale face slightly flushed with nerves. "Pardon?" He continued to smile at her. "I don't understand what you mean." He heard something clatter to the floor in another part of the house.

He leaned towards her, fingers still toying with the half-full coffeepot. "You wouldn't have come here unannounced, Miss Visser."

She put her mug aside uneasily. "But I did."

_'Such pretty eyes, even when she's about to cry. They'd look better green.'_ Smiling. "You didn't tell them you would."

It wasn't a question, and he saw that she understood that.

"So," he said, rolling his leanly muscled shoulders back. "I must ask. Why did you come here?" He took great joy in interrupting her answer. "Miss Visser?"

She floundered. "I was… I thought…" She started to cry. "This isn't what I wanted."

"So what did you want?" Another clang from somewhere else in the house, closer this time.

"I wanted… I think I… I just wanted to-"

"To what, Miss Visser?"

She cried harder. "I just wanted to be _wanted_."

The door opened before he had a chance to say anything. In front of two grim Domino teens stood Alice in a red hooded sweater.

_'Not Alice. Kaylee. She's not Alice.'_ He tensed unhappily, still smiling. She turned her soft clear green eyes on Elizabeth, then him, and smiled back.

In the light of his kitchen, smiling Alice looked inhuman.

"Well, hello, Mister Wolf. What time is it?" He blinked, and she continued. "I daresay it's tea time! Well then, Elizabeth, you'll be late."

Jonouchi shoved past her before he had a chance to say anything. "What the fuck?" To Kaiba's surprise, he never so much as looked at him, opting instead to beeline towards Genia's sister. "Elizabeth. What are you doing here?"

The older Visser shoved him away. Jonouchi stepped back, obviously pained. She grabbed him and buried her face in his chest, choking on her sobs. "_Katsu-u-uya!_"

He felt warm breath on his face, and looked forward to find Alice's green-eyed face looking up at him. _'Did Alice always have green eyes?'_ It was a vague, dreamy thought.

"Hello, Mister Wolf."

He stared at her. "Hello."

He could hear Mokuba's girlfriend and Jonouchi fussing over Elizabeth, and saw Anzu hesitating a few steps behind Alice, looking unsure. Alice smiled at him, her white teeth slightly and endearingly crooked, and cocked her head contemplatively.

"Why are you so afraid of me?"

He continued to stare at her, puzzled by her question and mesmerized by the soft brown freckles dotting the thin bridge of her nose.

Anzu suddenly grabbed her shoulder, and her clear eyes broke from his with a painful suddenness. "We're leaving. Let's go!"

Alice left without explaining. Within seconds, his kitchen was empty, only a lukewarm cup of coffee on one counter testifying that it had ever been otherwise.

_(W/A)_

Anzu was happy to see that Elizabeth begging Jonouchi to stay. It was odd, desperate behaviour, but there was a barely perceptible edge of apologetic _want_ in it that reassured her.

She wasn't worried about her blonde friend's eventual response, despite the fact that he was hurt and reluctant to be hurt again. After almost an hour of protests, he hadn't left yet.

She just wasn't sure why she was still there. Genia had retreated to her room almost immediately, looking pensive and uneasy. Kaylee had sat down beside her and proceeded to watch the softly quarrelling couple with notable pleasure, while occasionally offering her food and then lecturing her on her weight in a way that could have been facetious.

She sighed. "I should go home," she said to Kaylee, once-again pushing away the offered bowl. Kaylee smiled at her.

"Mm. Maybe. I can walk you. It's dangerous at night."

Anzu suppressed a laugh, and looked at her companion narrowly. _'That almost made sense,'_ she thought, amused. "Somehow, I doubt you're better prepared against attackers than me, Kaylee," she warned.

Kaylee smiled sedately again. "I'll confuse them to death. It's marvelously effective." Anzu laughed out loud at that.

"I think… I'm starting to understand you a little," she told her, feeling a warm little bubble of affection forming towards the largely unintelligible little blonde.

Kaylee looked almost angelic when she stood, softly backlit by poorly made table lamps. "That's reassuring. I like you too."

Anzu laughed again.

"Maybe not."

_(W/A)_

When Mokuba woke, it was early evening. He knew because the house was quiet, which meant one of two things: Seto Kaiba was in a foul mood, or it was evening, and the cleaning staff had gone home.

He couldn't imagine how his brother's mood could've worsened over the day, so he assumed it was the first.

What he did find unusual, however, was that the service door to the kitchen was closed and latched.

The second unusual thing he spotted was an unattended cup of coffee. Touching it, he realized it was cold. Three unusual things. Coffee never went undrank long enough to get cold, not in the Kaiba household.

The fourth unusual thing he saw was his brother, sitting on a corner stool, looking at the cold coffee.

First, it was _'Okay, what?'_ and then, _'Oh no.'_ He approached Seto Kaiba tentatively. "Big Brother?" To his surprise, he snorted in a way that was very characteristically normal.

"Yes, Mokuba?"

Mokuba examined him, finding nothing superficial out of place. "What's…" It wasn't wrong. Wrong seemed like the incorrect word. "What happened?"

His brother smiled at him in a way that was both sad and scornful. "I don't know what to do, Little Brother."

Mokuba sighed, and sat. "I think it's time you told me everything, Seto."

The brunet grinned a little. "You're not going to like this."

A little laugh.

"I know."

_(W/A)_

When Elizabeth woke the next morning, her desire to rise was more greatly impaired than usual.

Jonouchi's body was incredibly warm against hers. She smiled and curled her arms around him. He woke with a hissing start. "Fuck, your hands are cold!"

She laughed dreamily. "Sorry." She could feel the vibrations of his chuckles through his ribs, and curled herself more tightly against him. "You're so warm."

His fingers wandered through her hair gently, and she shivered as they played along the back of her neck. She felt the air pass through him as he sighed. "I did tell you."

She stiffened. "Yes, we talked about this last night." It came out sharper than she intended it, and she squeezed him gently, trying to lighten her own discomfort.

He curled his fingers in her hair reassuringly. "We never talked about what's going to happen."

Nervous suspicion. "What do you mean?"

He chuckled again. "Don't be so paranoid, Liz. Your sister is still dating Mokuba."

The gravity of that hit her. "Oh. Shit." The two fell into thoughtful silence.

Elizabeth had almost drifted off again when a tentative knock on the door alerted her. "What is it?"

"Are you decent?" Genia sounded amused.

She laughed. "No. Why?"

"Cover up- I'm coming in." Before she could protest, Genia walked in, holding a rather imposing bouquet of roses.

Elizabeth giggled. "Jesus, Gin, you've really got that boy whipped. When did those get here?" She could feel Jonouchi laughing beside her.

Genia grinned, and shook her head. "They're not for me."

Elizabeth felt the Jonouchi tense as the same thought occurred to both of them. "He wouldn't… not after yesterday?"

Genia shook her head again. "They're not for you, either. They're for _Kaylee_."

Even Elizabeth let out an incredulous bark, she heard Jonouchi take a sharply hissing breath. "What? From who?"

A shrug. "There's no name."

Jonouchi's arm eased out from behind her. "Let me see those." He took them from Genia with careful hands, and examined the wrapping. "Ah. That's what I thought."

Seeing the question in both girls' eyes, he peeled the wrapping back, revealing a small business card.

"_Paid for by Kaiba Corporation._"

_(W/A)_


	12. KSol: Vacate

_Note: Here it is- the big dozen. Twelve. Not too shabby, is it?_

_I'm thinking I might complete this before I update You're So Spoiled, but I'm unsure, so bear with me, please. _

_Edit: I just realized that this is building up to the best moment of misunderstanding ever. Also, lots of laughter in this chapter. It's much more cheerful than the ones it succeeds._

_And… for you, my darling KittyLo. Here is some Miho for you, as per your desires. I tried to keep her in the super-bubbly and sometimes ridiculous character she is Season 0, but somehow I turned her into a beacon of hope. Also: The last line is a nod to her habit of occasionally referring to herself by name in the manga and Japanese series._

_What the hell._

_For those of you rooting for Kaiba/Kay action… you'll understand the issue in this chapter._

_Here's a hint:_

_Kaylee's totally batshit, and super-duper awesome. I hereby dub her Kaylee: Captain of her Majesty's Awkward Moments and master ego assassin._

_Also: The little death. For those of you familiar with obscure last century sex facts, yes, I do mean that. Hee hee hee!_

_Double-Edit: I will have it known I wrote the remainder of this wearing six-inch stilettos, fishnet tights, a black lamé halter bodysuit and a satin leopard print fedora._

_I'm not making any of this up. I'm going as a Playboy Bunny for Halloween and the fedora happened to be nearby. (I don't have the bunny ears/tail/bowtie or cuffs yet.)_

_Consider this chapter infused with KISKI SEXY._

_This is the most unorthodox romance ever._

_Disclaimer: Non, mes amis._

_White Alice_

_Chapter Twelve: The Kaylee Solution (Vacate)_

Kaylee was incredibly amused by the flowers. In fact, she laughed so long and intensively that after a time, she ran to the bathroom and involuntarily emptied the contents of her stomach.

Jonouchi was alarmed. "Is she alright?" Genia and Elizabeth both shrugged with such similar stances and expressions that he had a moment of unreality.

"She has a weird sense of humour," Genia said casually. "She probably finds it hilarious that she broke into his house, got up in his face, said God-knows-what to him, and he sent her flowers for it. Kay's weird like that."She grinned crookedly. "Some people would see it as a Mafia-style threat, but Kaylee'll probably take her next chance to heckle him on his deep emotional attachment to her."

Jonouchi muffled a laugh in Elizabeth's hair, running his fingers along the exposed skin between her top and her jeans. "Kaiba would hate that. I like your cousin more for everything she says and does."

Elizabeth sent him a warning look, pushing him back. "Hey now, you've already got one member of the family- don't get greedy." Genia let out a loud 'Ha!' before covered her mouth. He raised his eyebrows.

"It's an inside joke. One of Kay's ex-boyfriend's wanted to date Liz after they broke up; it was ridiculous. He was just lucky is was Lizzie and not me," she grinned, "because Kay and I don't take messing with our family lightly. We would've _destroyed_ him."

Jonouchi was taken aback by her sudden ferocity. The vibrancy of Genia's character was easily apparent, but the sudden burst of hard purpose he'd seen in her face reminded him more of Anzu when she was angry than the slim, bubbly beauty he knew.

Elizabeth tutted at her teasingly, and smiled. "Your bitterness is showing, Gin. Be careful; soon you'll be a scary monster, just like Kay."

"I am the _best_ monster," Kaylee yelled from the bathroom.

All three of them collapsed into comfortable laughter.

_(W/A)_

Nervousness was not something Seto Kaiba enjoyed. Discomfort, pain, impatience- those he could handle, easily, if he needed to, but the vast uncertainty of his current situation was putting him on edge.

He turned to Mokuba again, irritated. "This seems very trite," he told him. "How will she know they're not from you?"

A lazy grin. "If I was going to send someone flowers, I'd send them to my own girlfriend, thanks." He guided his restless brother back to his desk. "Just trust me. Girls love flowers." Seto sent him a long-suffering look.

"I may have briefly kidnapped her cousin, Little Brother," he said drily. "Somehow, I think their intent will be misconstrued. Why didn't you consult me?"

A shrug. "You would've said no."

He sighed. "Exactly."

The brothers settled into uncomfortable silence as Kaiba eyed his desktop, feeling restless. _'So many things need reviewing, but my concentration is suffering because of this."_ He frowned, and looked at his brother accusingly. Mokuba smiled and shrugged. The silence stretched on.

Mokuba was the one who broke it. "I'll never understand you, Big Brother. I can't even comprehend your intentions in this situation."

The truth was that he wasn't entirely clear on his own intentions, either. However, that wasn't something he'd admit, even to his own blood. "I have ideas," he said instead. Mokuba watched him intently.

"I think your ideas rarely leave your mouth without passing through red tape that bureaucrats would scream at the sight of, Big Brother," he rejoined, "Let alone reach fruition before double-checking, triple-checking and final review."

Kaiba smirked and lifted a shoulder dismissively. "That may be true, but how often do my plans fail?"

"Your plans for Elizabeth failed."

It was a hard reminder, and he glowered at his younger brother. The dark-haired boy looked unabashed. He looked away, embarrassed and angry. "The situation changed. Ali… Genia's cousin became involved."

He could hear Mokuba's sigh. "Her name is Kaylee, Big Brother. She's a person all of her own, you know."

"Yes. I know."

The silence settled in again. Mokuba sighed again.

"You should work on that, Big Brother."

He heard Mokuba's shoes hit the carpet, and the door click when he left.

_(W/A)_

The mall was busy and vibrant and Miho was whining, but for once, Anzu really didn't mind.

"Ugh, sometimes having lavender hair makes dressing so hard, Anzu," she fretted. "I wish I could wear red, or blue. You always look so stunning in blue." She fingered the soft green fabric of a shirt. "I've been thinking about getting contacts. What do you think about blue-violet?"

The brunette bit back a startled laugh. _'This is why I spend time with you, Miho,'_ she thought affectionately. "Violet contacts might look a little bit unhealthy." She smiled at the girl as she 'ooh'ed over a short yellow sundress. "Besides, wouldn't they clash with the purple? That dress is gorgeous, by the way."

Miho tutted. "It's lavender, Anzu, not purple. Purple is darker, like… complementary." Anzu couldn't keep herself from laughing at the bubbly girl's flamboyant, sweeping gestures. "And you really think so? It's kind of pale- do you think it'll wash me out?" Anzu shook her head. Her classmate smiled sunnily and flounced away to the changing rooms.

_'Miho is so uncomplicated,'_ she mused, smiling but serious. _'Maybe a little manipulative sometimes,' _she thought, casting her mind back to her brief tryst with Honda, _'but not spiteful or vicious.'_ Her smile faded. _'I wonder if she ever went to the clinic.'_

An attendant was hovering nearby. Anzu smiled politely, and the young woman approached and bowed eagerly. "Are you shopping today, Miss?"

"She is!" Miho laughed behind her, standing on tiptoe in her little dress. The attendant clapped her hands together appreciatively.

"That dress is so beautiful on you!" she said happily to Miho, and turned back to Anzu. "I would be very happy to recommend some items to you as well, Miss. I am Yuki. What were you looking for today?"

Even as Anzu went to dismiss the eager young lady's helpful attentions, Miho began to burble happily. "A dress, Miss Yuki, so Anzu and I can match. Maybe blue? Oh! Or red, or grey- she looks beautiful in grey, you know."

Anzu laughed, and sighed. _'And this is why I don't spend time with you, Miho.' _She interrupted her. "Miho, before I forget- I'm very sorry, Miss Yuki, please don't misunderstand- I was just wondering if you ever went to your appointment at this clinic?"

Miho rolled her eyes and smiled, and the brunette's stomach clenched. "Of course I did. They have a cancellation fee, you know." She pulled her hair over one shoulder casually, toying with it. "The girl at the desk was pretty, but the doctor was super creepy. His face didn't move. It was so weird! I don't want to look like that," she said, dismissive, and turned to the mirror, smoothing her hands down the dress. "Besides, it's not like I'm ugly or anything. Pretty doesn't have to be fake, right?"

She looked up, startled. "…Yeah." Miho beamed at her.

"Maybe I'm not pretty like you are, Anzu," she said, "But at least Miho is pretty like Miho!"

_(W/A)_

Seto Kaiba left his work late, as usual. When he arrived home, his brother was with his girlfriend, as usual.

He settled in to make coffee and continue working, as usual.

The doorbell rang at quarter to eight, which was _not_ usual.

Kaylee was standing in the rain, only half under a leopard print umbrella, with water pouring off the edge and down her left side. She didn't appear to notice.

For about half of a minute, he simply stood and stared at her, uncomprehending. When she didn't volunteer any information, he took it upon himself to open the subject.

"What are you doing here?"

In his mind, he could hear Mokuba reproaching him for his rudeness, and winced imperceptibly. She continued smiling brilliantly at him in the soft grey light of the rain.

"The roses were lovely. Thank you."

An uncomfortable moment of silence ensued in which the young billionaire reluctantly admitted to himself that he was the only one of the two who was at all affected by the extended silences.

"Thank you," he replied. "Would you like to come in?" She came in without hesitation or answering, leaving him once again floundering. _'I'm beginning to suspect this is intentional,' _he thought grumpily._ 'Why is she here?'_

She set her umbrella down in the hallway. He looked at her. She continued, removing her shoes and coat.

"You're wet," he told her.

"Yes," she responded. "Yes, I am."

He was having a great deal of difficulty understanding whether that was intended as a sexual innuendo or a simple statement of fact. Her smooth, clear-eyed face and softly upturned mouth revealed nothing.

Kaiba sighed. "Why are you here?" he repeated warily.

Her complacent expression suddenly exploded into total mischief. "Roses are generally viewed as romantic invitations in my culture, Mister Kaiba," she said teasingly, "So I assumed that gracing yourself with my presence was an agreeable prospect to you." She went to pick up her shoes once more. "I apologize for my mistake."

He understood immediately. _'She's playing with my cultural values,' _he thought, amazed. _'She knows that rudeness is considered very inappropriate here.'_ He almost smiled, amused. "I would be pleased to have your company," he told her politely. _'I understand your game, Kaylee.'_

He was astonished first at how comfortable she seemed in his presence, and then by her size. In his inattention, having never stood next to the girl except for the rather alarming moment the day before in the kitchen, he hadn't realized how diminutive in stature she was.

Genia, tall as she was, stood easily at his shoulder. Elizabeth stood with her nose to his sternum.

Kaylee, shorter than both of her younger cousins, stood only to the bottom of his ribs.

_'She's tiny,'_ he thought, incredibly entertained. _'I could pick her up with one arm, like most Japanese girls.'_ It seemed very suitable, somehow, that his Alice would be so portable, just a collection of coloured pixels on a conveniently-sized storage drive. She looked up at him curiously.

"Would you like a drink?" he asked, inclining his head towards the kitchen. _'And how will you react to being there again, little Kaylee?'_

To his interest, she didn't seem concerned in the slightest. It was a peculiar thing, her behaviour in his house, respectful but so familiar, like an old friend or business partner come to visit again. She wandered into the kitchen with what looked like pleasant nostalgia.

"Yes please. Do you have- oh, excuse me." She smiled a private, disparaging smile. "You're underage, correct?"

He raised an eyebrow. "I do have access to liquor, Miss Wicker," he told her, trying his best to suppress the dry humour that begged to come with it. _'She knows. She's still playing. But why is she here?'_

Another private smile. "A whiskey sour then, if you will, Mister Kaiba."

Both eyebrows shot up. "Whiskey?" It was hard to imagine such a tiny little thing drinking hard liquor. She waved a dismissive hand, reclining against the counter.

"I enjoy good whiskey."

He smirked, amused, but stayed where he was. "I'll ask you again… Kaylee," he said, and she looked up sharply at her name. "Why are you here?"

She smiled again, teasingly unserious. "You invited me."

He watched her for a moment, tracing his eyes up from her long, defined jaw to her flat, well-shaped lips, past her high, befreckled nose and across those clear green eyes. _'Mokuba may have been incorrect in his intuition, but correct in his actions,'_ he thought, debating his next move.

He decided that her game was an acceptable risk. "Did I invite you?" he asked.

"You did," she responded, hands folded on her stomach. "You sent me roses."

He eyed her slim figure discreetly, estimating her physical capacity for violence, among other things. "That is correct." He was surprised when she responded.

"Ah, so I was invited. So, Mister Kaiba, the question is not what am _I_ doing here," she said softly, leaning forward conspiratorially. "The question is: What am I doing here?"

He allowed himself a moment of amusement before acting.

Her lips were soft but unresponsive against his own; enough to tell him that he'd caught her by surprise and had the upper hand. He curled an arm around her, pulling her away from the counter and against him, marveling at the intense heat of her body against his. Her hair was coarse against his face.

When he pulled away, she was flushed, but looked more bemused than anything else. He raised an eyebrow inquisitively. She shook her head.

"I'm sorry, I'm not good with subtlety. What's happening right now?"

He rolled his eyes and picked her up by the ribs like a child. She was as light as she looked. "We're going upstairs."

She kicked her feet aimlessly in the air, smiling crookedly and leaning on his arms.

"Okay."

_(W/A)_

When he woke, there wasn't rustling. The bed was warm, almost unbearably so, and he could smell the spicy notes of her shampoo on his pillow. He rolled over, reaching for her.

The rest of the bed was empty.

Seto Kaiba frowned, sitting up. The bathroom door was open. The bathroom itself was empty as well.

He rose, pulling his pants from the night before off of the bedstand.

Her clothes were gone from the floor.

He slipped on the pants, and walked downstairs, to the kitchen. His new driver was drinking coffee, waiting. Seto Kaiba looked at him.

"Did my guest leave?" he asked.

The driver looked surprised.

"Yes, Mister Kaiba. Over two hours ago."

_(W/A)_

Genia and Elizabeth were eating the leftovers from their party the night before when he knocked on their door.

As soon as the door opened, he looked down at Genia and asked, "Where is your cousin?"

The two girls were silent, and Genia's eyes moved slowly from the door to her sister. Elizabeth only stared.

"She was joking," she said to Kaiba, and then, "She was joking?" to Genia, in a confused tone. Genia had already started to shake with suppressed laughter.

The young man looked at her. She looked dumbfounded.

"She didn't? I mean, she said… Oh my God."

Genia burst. "She did!"

He glowered at her. "What?"

Elizabeth explained.

_---_

_The Evening Before:_

Genia looked up from the kitchen table to see Kaylee stuffing underwear into her purse and chatting to Elizabeth.

"Kay, where're you going?"

Kaylee smiled at her, looking cheerful and silly. "I'm going to go visit Seto Kaiba." She tapped her nose confidentially, like an old woman, and cupped her hand around her mouth in classic melodrama. "I'm going to sleep with him, you know. Gotta thank him for those roses, doll! That's how these things work!"

Genia laughed at that, spreading out her homework. "You're ridiculous. Where are you really going?"

"I told you. To the swanky Kaiba mansion to get laid."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine, don't tell me. Will you back for tomorrow?"

A smile.

"Bright and early."

_---_

He interrupted her, sounding furious. "Blatant exaggerations aside, where is your cousin now?"

Genia shook her head slowly. "That's word for word." She looked over at her sister hesitantly. "And, uh, Kay's already left. It was early, you know."

Kaiba's patience for their vagueness was running short. "To where?"

Elizabeth and Genia both stared at him.

"Back home," Elizabeth said. "To Canada."


	13. Love and War

_Note: Zaniness, dee-dee-dee._

_When I say "Girl is batshit craaazee!" I mean "GIRL IS BATSHIT CRAZY."_

_I feel like my writing skill is deteriorating, and that distresses me. Is this story decreasing it quality, or just decreasing in angst?_

_Also, this one's mostly short little scenes._

_Shantih: Creepy shit is coming up, just for you, darling dear._

_Any guesses on what's in the glass? _

_Edit: Made a few edits; got rid of a couple extraneous adjectives that were bugging me and a spelling error or two. If this shows up as an update, I'm sorry, but don't worry- you'll get your next chapter soon. I'll start that now._

_Disclaimer: Non, ma petit shou, non._

_White Alice_

_Chapter Thirteen: Love and War_

Genia had never seen Mokuba so serious. He had a natural flair for mischief and a gentle nature, and seeing his face so solemn was a new and nervous prospect.

She invited him in, trying to smile in spite of his brooding. He leant against the doorframe.

"Gin," he said, "What is your cousin trying to do to my brother?"

It was so frank, and so unlike him. Despite the heat, she shivered. _'He's very serious.'_ Her eyes shifted away from his uneasily. "I don't know."

She heard him sigh, and close the door behind him. His shoes made soft chuffing sounds against his socks as he removed them. "My brother is very important to me, Genia," he said again, softly, and moved around her to look into her face. "What is your cousin trying to do to my brother?"

There was a moment of tense silence as she looked at him. She could hear the clock ticking in the kitchen, and the low light from the windows was warm on her bare feet. There was nothing romantic about the way he stared into her eyes.

She looked away again. "I don't know, Mokuba." He moved around her again, taking her face in his one hand. "For God's sake, I don't know!" It was an unexpected burst of anger, but it broke the dam and the words came pouring out. "I never know what Kay is doing, alright? She just does things, and he deserves it, fucking with Elizabeth like that," she ground out. "Look, she hasn't broken anything, and she's gone back home, so why do you care so much, anyway? It's over! Everything is over! Elizabeth and your brother- that's over. Kaylee and your brother- that's over. So what is your _problem_?"

Mokuba looked a little nonplussed at her intensity, and backed up, letting his hand drop. She stared sullenly at him again.

"What is your problem, Mokuba?"

He was looking down, arms crossed. He lifted one shoulder and rolled it, a subtle cue of unease she recognized. "He left, too, alright?"

Confusion. She furrowed an eyebrow. "What?"

He sent her an angry, petulant glare. "He followed her, okay? My brother. He left this morning. Rush flight." He sighed, running a hand through his hair and digging his nails into his scalp in obvious frustration. "I just don't get it. It's so _weird_."

She didn't realize she was biting her lip until she felt a bright twinge of pain from biting down. "He _what_?" The back of her throat tasted like bile. "He _followed_ Kaylee? Is your brother _insane_?" Her voice was rising, and she couldn't help it. The last tentative remainders of her good mood gave way to panic. She grabbed his shirt, tottering. "Do you realize what will happen if he frightens her?"

He shoved her hands off. "Do you realize what will happen if she keeps messing with him?" Mokuba dug at his scalp again. "Here's the problem: I don't! I don't know how Seto will react! I've never seen anybody push him like this before without never seeing them again, Genia!"

He had been shouting. He took a breath, trying to calm himself. She looked at him coldly.

"I am not worried about Kaylee. Here's the problem, Mokuba," she said quietly, wrapping her arms around him. "I _do_ know what Kaylee is capable of."

She saw him hesitate.

Genia laid her head against his shoulder and squeezed him apologetically. "Don't tell Elizabeth this," she whispered. "There's a reason Steven never came around again." It was coming out like a confession, and her eyes began to blur. She laughed a little, rubbing at them with the heel of one palm.

"Honestly, I think his legs healed straight, anyway. It's no big deal, right?"

_(W/A)_

It was a weird revelation for Jonouchi, finding out that both Kaylee and Kaiba were gone. Elizabeth had been vague on the details, but she'd said enough for him to assume her cousin had done something potentially both hilarious and deadly. It hadn't taken much for her to admit the older Kaiba had followed the little blonde.

_'He must really hate that girl,' _he thought, trying to decide whether he was concerned or just amused. Kaylee had a self-assured quality that made her seem unreal. _'It's like a piano could fall on her and she'd pop up from under the strings with an ivory key between her teeth.'_

He sighed. It was wishful thinking on his part, hoping that Kaylee would emerge from the mess she'd made untouched. _'That girl may be a bit of an animal, but Kaiba is a natural disaster waiting to happen.'_

He fidgeted and paced. The doorbell rang. He opened it impatiently.

Anzu hugged him promptly, looking happier than he'd seen her in weeks. "Did you hear?" Her voice was practically a sing-song.

He couldn't help but grin at her sunniness. "About Kaiba? Yeah."

The little brunette fluttered around the apartment, tutting a little at an overturned cushion on his couch. "Isn't it great? Everything should go back to normal with him gone." Jonouchi looked at her strangely.

"What do you mean? I thought you had a problem with the clinic."

She waved her hand dismissively. "The clinic is no issue. I saw Miho today."

He almost laughed. "I don't know what Miho has to do with this, but it's nice to see you in a good mood, Anzu." She smiled prettily back at him. "I'm a little worried about Kaylee, though."

"I'm not." Anzu looked thoughtful but at ease. "That girl seems… kind of impervious, don't you think?"

It was an odd little moment of déjà vu, and he looked at her thoughtfully. "Yeah, I guess so."

She tossed her hair. "So, now that everything's normal… walk to school with me?"

He laughed. "Sure."

_(W/A)_

Elizabeth's fingers traced the line of his jaw one last time.

The photograph was a little tattered, worn at the edges from touching, and not very clear to begin with. A boy with dirty red-blonde hair and a sullen eyes stared out, one arm around a much younger and rounder Elizabeth. Her braces set of a spark of light from the flash, making her whole mouth a line of white.

"Steven," she muttered, rolling the name around in her mouth again. Her stomach clenched a little.

He'd left without warning the Christmas of her sixteenth birthday, and never a word since. _'Rough times,_' she thought. She'd blamed herself, for a long time, for being too young, too fat, too easy- anything she could find to explain it.

Afterwards, she'd fought long and hard with Kaylee and Genia, who were unrelentingly glad he was gone.

She still didn't understand why he'd left, but now, lying on her bed, squinting at the photograph, she didn't feel any emotional attachment to it._ 'Katsuya treats me better, more of the time, than you ever did.'_ It was a piece of shiny paper, nothing else. _'When he says I look beautiful, I believe him.'_

She rolled over and stared at the sulky face beside her own. _'It was such a long time, but I can't even remember why I was so in love with you.'_

Habit told her to put it back in the drawer.

It was with a sense of calmness and freedom that she dropped it in the garbage beside her bed, and reached for her phone. It rang and rang.

_'Katsuya, where are you?'_

_(W/A)_

She was giggling, and Mokuba liked that. It was a nice change to the deadly mood that had separated them most of the afternoon. Here, out in the fresh, cool air, an arm curled around her waist, the bright colours of the evening made the world seem a little saner.

Her warm, lean body against his didn't hurt.

They wandered down the sidewalk slowly. Walking to his house from hers was almost a ritual of theirs, left over from that first perfect day when he'd brought her home. It felt like so long, despite the fact that it had only been a couple of weeks. He could still remember the tightness of his brother's face when he'd introduced her, the hard, glowing pride he'd felt, and the soft warmth of her mouth when he'd kissed her for the first time that night.

She'd laughed when he'd looked around, nervous, for his brother, always more level-headed and aware than he was.

Now, as he tucked his hand in her jacket pocket and pulled her close, he couldn't help but feel that all the insanity that had been playing out since then was finally pulling the final stitch. _'Soon, this will all be over.'_

He didn't know what 'over' meant, whether it meant something horrible or unknown, but it felt better than the tentative uncertainty of hiding on a staircase, staring at the snarling face of the brother you loved and feared.

He shook his head. Genia looked over curiously. "I'm just getting lost in my head," he told her, pulling her closer. She smiled.

"There's a lot to think about, isn't there?"

He couldn't help but agree.

The only thing he hated about his home was how evil it looked to him from a distance. It was too big, too foreboding, reducing the buildings around it to squat, squalid huts. Its western-style stone walls and high wrought-iron fences made it look like a castle nestled among the houses of the poor.

He sighed and keyed in his entrance code. Even the loud 'whirr-click' of the gate unlocking sounded foreign and medieval. Genia seemed unaffected by the menace of the place. He smiled at her.

_'It's why I love you,'_ he thought, and then blinked, surprised at himself. She sent him another look.

"You catch on too fast," he said. She looked confused, but said nothing.

The warmth from the entrance hall was greatly welcome. They stood silently on the mat for a moment, reveling in the feeling of the heat sinking through their chilled clothes.

Genia started laughing before he'd finished taking off his shoes.

When he looked up, he realized that Kaylee was relaxing on his sofa with a glass in her hand.

"Hey."

_(W/A)_

It hadn't taken much to gain access the rosters of passengers leaving on early-morning flights to the other side of the world. As a rule, Japan didn't have a great sense of attachment to its Western tourists.

Therefore, it hadn't taken him a lot of searching to realize that his petite blonde guest had not, in fact, vacated Japan, whatever she'd told her lamentably gullible cousins.

_'We'll see, Miss Kaylee,'_ he thought, _'what you'll do.'_

Seto Kaiba smirked. "You can't really think I'm as stupid as that, can you?"

_(W/A)_

Anzu grabbed Jonouchi before he had the chance to dash into the classroom. He jumped at her sudden touch.

She looked frantic. "He's here!" He stared at her with a mixture of unease and bafflement. "Kaiba's here, Jou! Genia said that Mokuba said-"

Jonouchi stopped her. "He's gone. He has to be. He wouldn't lie to his brother?" A terrible suspicion was forming in his mind. "Is Kaylee still here?"

Anzu looked startled. "What?" She shook her head. "That's not the point right now. Why is he here? He can't be back already- that's a… God, that's a fourteen hour flight!"

The blonde looked down at her. "Remember who we're talking about, Anzu," he said drily. "And we still need to go to class." He pushed open the door.

Even in the harsh light of the classroom, the only person watching their arrival was Kaiba. His face was smooth, expressionless, but his eyes were narrow and dark. The light threw hard shadows across his cheeks and chin. _'Like a marble bust,'_ Jonouchi thought. _'You barely look real, Seto Kaiba.'_

He tried to decide if the tense air of expectation permeating the classroom was a symptom of his own paranoia, or if those light blue eyes following him really did look so uneasily bright. As he walked to his seat, he could hear Anzu shuffling a little behind him, and the teacher's disapproving mutter. _'We weren't quite late,'_ he thought, more relieved than annoyed.

The door clicked, and an excited chatter set up around him. He felt Anzu grab the back of his shirt, and turned.

Kaylee Wicker was almost as unreal looking as her adversary, but the lights sent grotesque shadows down over her eyes and mouth. He shivered, and pushed Anzu lightly to the side without thinking. _'What the hell is happening?'_

The little blonde was just standing in front of Kaiba desk, a wad of papers curled in one hand, eyes and eyebrows pulled tightly wide and mouth flat. He felt Anzu recoil, moving behind him. "Kaylee…?" she called, voice unusually high. Jonouchi was struck by how unsurprised Kaiba looked.

Kaylee leaned over, picked up Seto Kaiba's laptop, and examined it critically. "Nice. Custom-built?"

"Yes," he said. Kaylee looked down at him quietly, and then threw it as hard as she could. It smashed into the window with a loud crunching sound, and left a large spiderweb of cracks. The CD tray popped open with a click. Students howled as the teacher ran out.

Jonouchi sprang into panicked action, and grabbed her by the arm. "What the hell are you doing? Are you insane?" She turned those wide, tense eyes on him.

"Look," she said, and shoved the papers into his hand. "Look," she said again, before he could protest.

Anzu took them from him quietly, easing them out of his fingers, and read them. "Oh my God," she muttered, and leaned to look around him at the young billionaire. "Did you really do this?"

He just looked at her, silently statuesque. Jonouchi was growing impatient.

Anzu answered him before he asked. "Her passport's been temporarily revoked for investigation."

He stared. "Oh."

Kaylee smiled absently. "Oh," she said back, and then returned to staring at the brunet. "You're very clever. But why aren't you angry at me?"

Seto Kaiba folded her hands together and rested his chin on them, still watching her.

For the first time, Kaylee looked troubled. "Why aren't you angry at me…?" she repeated in English.

Jonouchi heard shoes pounding in the corridor. "People are coming. You need to leave," he warned her.

She smiled at him, and walked away, still talking.

"Why aren't you angry at me, Seto Kaiba?"

_(W/A)_


	14. KSol: Secondary Infection

_Note: I need to stop listening to the soundtrack from the 10__th__ Anniversary Les Miserables show. I keep picturing Kaylee as Inspector Javert. Kaiba is most definitely not Jean Valjean, though Elizabeth would make a pretty damn good Fantine._

_I'm such a nerd._

_Just so you know, I live to leave you scrabbling at the next chapter button._

_Edit: 50 Reviews! Whoo! Thank you to KittyCaesar as the 49__th__, 50__th __**and**__ 51__st__ reviewer. (You crazy fangirl, you.)_

_ajsgsfhgsa_

_I love you, Seto Kaiba, please don't hurt me._

_Double-Edit: I just realized that Shantih has reviewed multiple chapters of every story I have written, and VampiricDragonrider has reviewed every chapter of this one. I take it back, KittyCaesar. You are not the craziest fangirl here._

_Final Edit: This chapter makes me pants-shittingly happy. I've been wanting to write that last scene since I wrote the first chapter._

_Disclaimer: Will you stop reading these eventually?_

_White Alice_

_Chapter Fourteen: The Kaiba Solution (Secondary Infection)_

Anzu had been acting strangely all day, and Jonouchi wasn't certain that the tension of the morning was the only reason.

Even after the police had left- _'Or rather, were dismissed,'_ Jonouchi thought- she had been talking about the event as though it was an act of war. He understood her mindset, but found her delivery exceptionally strange.

"I think you should tell your cousin to lay low for a while," she told Genia as they left the grounds. "She messed with Kaiba's stuff; don't you think he'll be angry? He might try something."

The thread of her thoughts on the matter had run to that the entire day, it seemed, and Jonouchi didn't like it. While he knew Anzu disliked the billionaire, she had never been one to shamelessly vilify and had, on occasion, chastised him for doing so. _'A lot of things have happened… but why the sudden change of heart?'_

Genia seemed more amused than anything else. "Wasn't Kay muttering something like that as she left? She kept asking him why he wasn't angry with her."She ran a hand through her hair, smirking. "She doesn't seem worried, so I'm not. Kaylee has everything under control."

He tuned out Anzu's broken-record response, falling a step behind them. _'There's something wrong here.'_ His thoughts were interrupted by a warm body against his back.

"Elizabeth," he laughed without looking, and turned to kiss her. She looked at him reproachfully.

"I tried to call you."

He raised an eyebrow and kissed her anyway. "I forgot my phone at home. It happens." She stuck her tongue out at him brazenly. "Don't you start that with me! You may be older, but I'm still more than capable of… uh…"

His rather curvaceous girlfriend was looking at him with obvious humour. "You'll what? Punish me? Katsuya, this is a new side to your personality." He felt his face warming.

"Hey, you know I'm not like- um, hey, we- I mean, we haven't even-"

"You haven't _what_?"

Anzu and Genia were hovering behind him, and he yelped when Genia spoke. "Why are you standing there?" he demanded, holding Elizabeth close out of nervous reflex.

Anzu giggled. "You stopped. We came back. It's very simple." Jonouchi shot her an embarrassed glower. Anzu's reaction was a cunning little smile that surprised him. "Would you like to go home instead of coming out with us, Jonouchi? I know you've had a long day; Genia and I can go on alone."

He couldn't help but laugh at her sly suggestion, but it was Elizabeth who surprised him more.

"Yes," she said, curling her arms around his waist. "It's about time for a night in, isn't it?"

Jonouchi couldn't quite decipher what that meant, but he decided that he was very happy, regardless.

_(W/A)_

Mokuba was as angry as he thought reasonable. His brother did not agree with his thoughts.

"You're overreacting, Little Brother. Deception was necessary to locate Kaylee." Her name still left his mouth sounding strangely tense, and Mokuba frowned. Seto looked at him sternly from the couch across the living room. "Calm down and explain your complaint like an adult, Mokuba."

The dark-haired boy twitched impatiently. "You _had her passport revoked!_" He yelled, digging at his scalp in frustration. "How is that in any way reasonable? How can you tell me to act like an adult when you've been doing things that don't even have the pretense of legality?!" His brother looked amused, and he resisted the urge to take offense. "I thought you agreed to do this normally, Big Brother. How can you expect results using the same tactics you'd use in a hostile takeover?"

Seto smirked. "I fail to see the lack of parallels."

He glared. "That, Big Brother, is why all the girls I see you with leave early the next morning. Sometimes they cry, too!"

The older boy started laughing. "Mokuba, I have no idea when you became such a knight, but I wish I had been paying more attention."

Anger. He could feel his face heating up. "It almost makes me happy that Kaylee will hurt you if you make her cry," he bit out, and immediately regretted it. Seto sent him a curious look.

"Oh?"

He looked away from his brother's probing stare. "It's nothing," Mokuba said dismissively. "It's not important. Just don't hurt her."

Seto Kaiba leaned forward, hands folded across his knees. "Mokuba. You, of all people, should know that I am very capable of pleasing people when that is my intention. If she would stop resisting, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

He couldn't help but roll his eyes. "This brings us back to my first point; I really don't think she understands your intentions at all, Big Brother." Seto frowned.

"How could she not?"

It was Mokuba's turn to laugh. "Your mannerisms aren't easily understood by most people, Seto. I understand you most of the time, but hers are so strange to me that I'm pretty sure you two are speaking a different language."

His brother was silent and thoughtful for an uncomfortably long time. "Maybe I should be appealing to her sensibilities, then."

Mokuba threw up his hands in frustration. "That's what I've been saying!" He watched his brother rise with interest. "Where are you going?"

Seto smirked down at him.

"Certainly not to give her roses."

_(W/A)_

It was nice, having someone home with her, Anzu thought. Her parents traveled frequently, and Genia's sunny presence in her home brought a little bit of sunshine to the emptiness.

Genia was, as always, talking about one of her two staple topics: Mokuba.

The other was family, which was also an inexhaustible source of entertainment. The slim Dutch brunette had an apparently massive extended family.

Today, however, the discussion was less unendingly positive than usual.

"Mokuba and I are very different people," she told Anzu. "His family is so small!"

Anzu corrected herself. The two staple topics had now merged into one elephantine topic.

"With just him and his brother there, that house is so empty! I mean, having cleaning staff and a cook must be nice, but it's always so quiet. It was never like that back home; it was always busy and messy and noisy. Even at Kaylee's house, and she's just got two brothers. I can't imagine not having parents and grandparents and uncles and aunts and cousins… and second-cousins. And great-aunts. And-"

"Yes, I understand," Anzu said, exasperated, and tried to change the subject. "They're very close, though. Having a small family isn't so bad. It's just me and my parents here in Domino."

Genia looked thoughtful. "Are you lonely often? I think I'd be lonely if Lizzie and I didn't live together. It'll be lonely even then, when Kaylee leaves."

That perked her interest. "Oh, yes- when your cousin said she was going to leave, where did she move her belongings to, if she didn't really go anywhere?"

Genia's face lit up with a familiarly sheepish crooked smile. "She moved them into the Kaiba mansion." There was a moment of absolute silence in which Anzu just stared.

"…What?"

Genia laughed a little, and played with her hair. "Kay's a weirdo. Haven't you figured that out yet? She came back to our apartment, picked up her stuff, said her goodbyes and then snuck into the mansion." Anzu knew expression was incredulous only by Genia's response. "I'm not lying! She really did. She brought them all back today, but still; pretty ballsy."

Anzu laughed weakly. "Yeah," she said, and looked out the kitchen window. The leaves were starting to deaden on the tree outside. "Is she afraid of anything? She's so... I don't even know."

A shrug. "Yeah, she's afraid of a couple of things. Nothing normal, like spiders or rapists, though. Just weird stuff, like walking on mirrors. Finding that out was an experience."

Anzu was startled enough to laugh herself. "What? Mirrors?"

Genia joined in. "Yeah! We were at a carnival, and the house of mirrors had a mirrored floor. We got about four steps in before Kaylee looked at me and said 'I'm walking on the ceiling, Genia. Please. I'm going to fall!' It was pretty bizarre."

She shook her head. "That _is_ very bizarre. No explanation, I bet, knowing her." Genia shook her head, grinning. "What else is she afraid of?"

Genia was still smiling, but she looked a little sad.

"Oh… nothing. Nothing she'd let happen, anyway."

_(W/A)_

Elizabeth was sleeping when someone knocked on his door. Jonouchi had the discretion to pull on pants before opening.

His euphoric mood evaporated at the sight of Seto Kaiba.

"May I come in?"

It was unreal, seeing the young businessman at his door again. Part of him couldn't help but recall that the last time the older Kaiba had visited, it had been to spirit away his girlfriend in an act of pure spite. He eyed him warily. "Alright, but let me get dressed." He sent him a suspicious glower. "And, uh, don't… take anything."

He could tell by Kaiba's raised eyebrows and amused look that he got the implication. "You have nothing I want."

When he walked into the bedroom, he moved quietly, careful not to wake Elizabeth, and slipped on a shirt. _'It's not like I need to impress him.'_

When he walked out, he found Kaiba standing in his doorway, shoes off and removing his coat with obvious reluctance. Jonouchi marveled at the thin black shirt he worn underneath. _'Is he trying to put me at ease?'_ Kaiba sent him a look that made him worry the billionaire could read minds.

"So," he said, uncomfortable. "Can I help you with something."

The brunet said. "I came to apologize," he said quietly. It sounded strange, and Kaiba was looking away from him, but he didn't feel as though it was deception. It just felt uncomfortable, like he was doing something very difficult.

_'And he is,'_ Jonouchi realized. "You should be apologizing to my girlfriend, not me," he bit back. "You and I had our share of issues long before this started."

Definite discomfort. "I _did_ cometo apologize to your girlfriend. I assumed you wouldn't want me near her, so I came on the assumption that you would pass on my regrets."

Jonouchi stared at him in disbelief. _'An honest apology to Elizabeth, which this much thought into social graces. What is this?'_ He wanted to be suspicious, anxious and hostile, but every part of his subconscious sang to him that he wasn't being deceived. Even Kaiba's carefully kept body language was letting out quiet signals of humiliation and discomfort. He eyed him carefully. "Let me ask you something. Do you really regret what you… tried to do?"

A sigh through the nose that might have been a laugh. "For reasons you wouldn't agree with, but yes."

He was smart enough not to ask the reasons. "Would you like something to drink?"

For once, Kaiba's surprise was apparent, and in that moment, he looked younger and more human than the blond had ever seen him. "I had intended on leaving immediately," he said. Jonouchi understood the implication. _'I had intended on leaving immediately because you don't want me around.'_

It was the first time in years that Jonouchi intuition had been proven incorrect, and he had never been so glad of it. "Yeah, man," he said. "I've got coffee. Hey, um, I've got to go somewhere before six, but I just got the new Dark Horse game- Uh, no offense-"

Kaiba looked amused again. "None taken. Where are you going?"

"I was thinking I'd catch the train. I haven't seen my Dad in a long time."

_(W/A)_

Kaylee's first reaction to his presence was inscrutable. "Oh, hello, Mister Wolf. Did you bring Elizabeth here?"

He looked down at Elizabeth, who just shrugged at him and turned back to her cousin. "He drove me home from Jonouchi's, Kay. I'm just going to make some tea, okay? Do you want some?"

Her next reaction would mark the first signs of coherent thought ever witnessed in Kaylee.

She stared. "No tea. Elizabeth," the girl said, putting her hands forward and parallel. "_I_ am supposed to be the one here who makes no sense. This," she said, making a wide circle, "makes no fucking sense. I know you're forgiving, but _Jesus_."

Elizabeth glowered at her reproachfully. "Don't be rude," she said, and moved over to her. He could still hear her speaking, though he was certain that wasn't intended. "He apologized, Kay," she said quietly. "We all have to make an effort to make amends, alright? I trust Jonouchi's instincts, and he thinks everything's okay."

Kaylee's eyebrows shot up. "Whipped. Whipped, whipped, always whipped, all these men of yours, and now you? How strange." She turned those brilliant eyes on him carefully. "But _why_ would you apologize? You make less sense than me." She looked thoughtful. "And I don't make sense to me sometimes."

He kept his face unreadable, and sat at Elizabeth's gesturing. "I have reasons of my own."

"What are those reasons, Seto Kaiba?"

Still unreadable, but almost smiling. "Personal reasons, Alice."

Her eyesbrows shot up at his slip. "Are you going to behead me like Queen of Hearts, then, for painting your roses-"

Something very strange happened. Even from across the room, he could see Kaylee's pupils suddenly contract to pinpoints as her eyes widened. He could see the ripple of gooseflesh spring up along her arms in a wave, see the hairs glinting a little in the lighting as they stood erect.

"..._red_," she finished, and stared at him with something similar to that wide flat expression she had worn in the classroom earlier. "You're in love with me!" It sounded offensively incredulous. He saw Elizabeth spill hot water in the small kitchenette as she whirled around. He dug his fingers into the pressed fabric of his pants.

"That may or may not be true," he answered.

"Waffle," she retorted. "What the hell is wrong with you? I've insulted you, abandoned you and broken your belongings. What _the hell _is wrong with you?" She looked suddenly lost, like a little girl in a subway. "I didn't account for this."

Elizabeth was cradling her hand as she approached. "Kaylee?"

Kaylee turned to her. "I don't know how to react to this, Lizzie. I don't know what to do. What do I do? People are weird and illogical when they're… afflicted… like this."

It was fascinating. She continuously turned her eyes on him and away from him as though she were looking at something both rare and potentially dangerous. Her pupils maintained their tight constriction, barely visible in the yellowy apartment lights.

"Don't infect me with your disease!" she growled at him, and then looked repentant. "Now I feel really awful for sleeping with you. That was very cruel of me." Elizabeth was still looking between them, obviously at a loss for words.

He couldn't help a snort. "How so?"

"Don't give me your disease," she said again, softly, and he realized something.

Kaylee Wicker was terrified.

_(W/A)_


End file.
